With The Batman movie coming out March 4th, fans eagerly await this new addition to an already growing bank of successful superhero films. Seen as symbols of strength, responsibility, justice, or loss, superheroes have won the admiration of millions of people around the world. But among so many superheroes across the Marvel and DC universes, which one has the power to win the highest box office earnings of all time?
The experts at Top10Casinos.com were keen to find this out by extracting worldwide box office earnings per major Marvel and DC superhero movies, to establish the franchise cashing in the most.
Key findings:
- Spider-Man is the superhero that earns the most at the box office, with over $8 billion earnings
- Batman ranks second, with a $4 billion gap to that of Spider-Man
- DC superheroes Green Lantern, Harley Quinn and Catwoman are the lowest earning superheros rank in the bottom three
- Despite 7 films under his belt, the first superhero, Superman just misses out on the top 3
Top 10 superheroes earning the most at the box office
| Superhero Movie Franchise | Total box office earnings for all franchise movies (worldwide) |
| Spider-Man | $8,139,598,994 |
| Batman | $4,597,699,372 |
| Iron Man | $2,424,540,830 |
| Superman | $2,417,033,190 |
| Captain America | $2,238,328,773 |
| Thor | $1,948,093,669 |
| Deadpool | $1,568,733,400 |
| Black Panther | $1,347,597,973 |
| Aquaman | $1,148,485,886 |
| Ant-Man | $1,141,986,104 |
Spider-Man, also known as Peter Parker, has been crowned as the superhero that’s earned the most from the box office so far, topping the chart with $8,139,598,994 for all franchise movie earnings. The latest Spider-man movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home, starring Tom Holland, has already bagged the franchise $1.7 billion, just two months after release!
Batman ranked second in this box office battle, beaten to the number one spot by a huge $3.5 billion. All Batman films have made $4,597,699,372 worldwide including Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice where the main man himself and Superman both shared earnings for their joint charm to attract audiences.
In third place, we have Iron Man: another win for Marvel! As the founding member of the superhero team The Avengers, this genius yet arrogant man made $2,424,540,830 for all franchise films.
Next, we have the first superhero in the universe, the one who opened the superhero costume industry, Superman! With 7 films produced, box office revenue amounts to $2,417,033,190 with the earliest one dating back to 1978.
The superhero earning the least at the box office?
When it comes to the superhero that has earned the LEAST money at box office, the bottom three superheroes are all from the DC universe!
Catwoman from Gotham City, ranks last out of 21 superheroes analysed, having earned just $82,102,379 so far. Whilst Harley Quinn, places second last, having debuted in Suicide Squad, and in 2020 starring in her very own franchise movie Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey which has made her $201,858,461.
With Batman’s new movie: The Batman due to come out this March 4th, will it be a box office miracle to earn $4 billion and overtake Spider-Man to top the chart?
A battle between Thor, Black Panther, Doctor Strange and Aquaman is certainly on too, with releases due out this year, with the earliest: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness coming this May.
FAQs
Is there an official “Top 10” list for DC vs. Marvel earners?
No official list exists, but box office tracking websites like Box Office Mojo compile data on superhero films. The rankings might vary slightly depending on how they handle team-up movies (e.g., crediting individual heroes or the entire team).
Who are the usual suspects in the top earner category?
Here are some heavy hitters:
Marvel: Avengers, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Captain America.
DC: Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman.
Who reigns supreme, DC or Marvel?
Based on total earnings, Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films currently lead. However, DC has had individual films outperform some MCU movies.
Where can I find these “Top 10” superhero earner lists?
Box office tracking websites: Box Office Mojo or The Numbers provide data on superhero film earnings.
Entertainment news websites: Articles might feature rankings based on box office performance.
Do these rankings only consider solo movies?
It depends on the source. Some lists might credit individual heroes in team-up movies, while others might credit the entire team.
Read: DC Vs. Marvel: Which franchise will win the tug-of-war in 2022? Here’s a detailed analysis
