Ahead of Avengers: Endgame, a look at how MCU films have fared at the box-office in last five years

The grand finale in the Avengers franchise is projected to potentially Hulk-smash all possible box office records. In India, Avengers: Endgame witnessed a record advance ticket sale with 1 million tickets sold in just over a day on BookMyShow. There’s even been news of first-day IMAX screening tickets being sold on eBay for a whopping $500 in the US. A report in the Deadline has even predicted that the 22nd film in one of Hollywood’s most lucrative franchises will score a hulking $1 billion worldwide on its opening day. Box office moguls in the subcontinent have also primed the film to smash all records of Hollywood films in India, with trade analyst Taran Adarsh estimating that it will eclipse the Infinity War numbers by a mile. Before the ultimate movie in the Avengers Saga rumbles into theatres, here’s a list of all MCU films in the last five years, from the lowest to the highest grosser (worldwide). 1. Ant-Man (2015) [caption id=“attachment_6500031” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Paul Rudd in a still from Ant-Man. Marvel Studios[/caption] The final film in the Phase 2 hauled a modest $519.3 million globally, which was sizeably smaller in numbers as compared to the preceding MCU offerings. However, critics hailed MCU’s smallest superhero and the smaller stakes it came with it. It now belongs to the bottom ranks of the property’s all-time charts, only ahead of Thor ($449.3 million), Captain America: The First Avenger ($370.6 million) and The Incredible Hulk $263.4 million. 2. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) [caption id=“attachment_4445663” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Evangeline Lilly and Paul Rudd in a still from Ant-Man and the Wasp. Marvel Studios[/caption] The Paul Rudd-fronted sequel surpassed the collections of its first instalment by a rather slim margin, but is still counted as a success amongst the other MCU juggernauts. With $622.7 million in its kitty, Ant-Man and the Wasp suffered from what can best be termed as a bad Infinity War hangover — the film arrived in the heels of Infinity War. Thus, audiences could not guzzle down a film so remotely detached from the rest of the MCU after the unsettling Infinity War cliffhanger. 3. Doctor Strange (2016) [caption id=“attachment_4445939” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Doctor Strange. Image from Facebook[/caption] Without the wide knowledge of the source material for the character, Doctor Strange was never pegged to be one of the MCU biggies_,_ despite fan favourites Benedict Cumberbatch, Mads Mikkelsen and Tilda Swinton leading its star-studded cast. But the Sorcerer Supreme’s introduction to the MCU was welcomed (and how!) after the high-strung Captain America: Civil War. Critics lauded director Scott Derrickson’s blending of humour and fantasy, and fans were astounded by the stunning visual effects. Doctor Strange earned $677.7 million worldwide. 4. Thor: Ragnarok (2017) [caption id=“attachment_4401471” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Tessa Thompson (left) along with Chris Hemsworth in Thor: Ragnarok. Facebook[/caption] A follow-up to 2013’s Thor: The Dark World, Ragnarok went on to become the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2017 with $854 million. It also hammered its position as the highest earning film in the franchise. Critics praised the lighter tone of the film, with even the bad guys (played by Cate Blanchett and Jeff Goldblum) drawing more than a few laughs with their over-the-top, goofy sense of humour. 5. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) [caption id=“attachment_4445351” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] A poster of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2[/caption] The first film in the franchise may have been a bit of a gamble for Marvel, driven by a motley group of lesser-known characters and alien animals. While the Guardians franchise may have not been able to crack the 1 billion dollar mark yet, GoTG Vol 2 scored a massive $863 million globally. Not only that, it outstripped the first GoTG  film by a whopping 54 percent in the US ( Hollywood Reporter), proving that Marvel films are immune to the ‘superhero fatigue’. The crowd-pleaser ranks among the most family-friendly of all the superhero movies. 6. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) [caption id=“attachment_3781791” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Spider-Man: Homecoming[/caption] Spider-Man: Homecoming grossed over $880 million worldwide, making it the second-most successful Spider-Man film to have ever been made. Played by Tom Holland, the New York webslinger’s solo movie arrived after his introduction in Captain America: Civil War. Homecoming is the second reboot of the Spider-Man franchise, after the Amazing Spider-Man, with Andrew Garfield, and the original, with Tobey Maguire. 7. Captain Marvel (2019) [caption id=“attachment_6232281” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] A still from Captain Marvel. Courtesy: Marvel Studios[/caption] Upon its release, Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel overthrew many a record and shattered all commercial expectations. Captain Marvel became the seventh title in the MCU franchise to surpass $1 billion at the global box office, becoming the first female-led superhero movie to do so. Although the film was sandbagged even before release by internet trolls , the Carol Danvers origin story became the sixth-highest worldwide opener of all time and the 25th highest-grosser of all time. It’s also MCU’s third solo film (Black Panther and Iron Man 3 being the others) to garner the big bucks. 8. Captain America: Civil War (2016) [caption id=“attachment_3427702” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Captain America: Civil War. Image via Facebook.[/caption] This behemoth from MCU is often likened to Avengers and its subsequent sequels. Marvel devotees hailed the cross-pollinated universe that seemed like an action film-on-steroids. While some criticised the film’s lack of levity, others lauded Joe and Anthony Russo for successfully bringing so many superheroes under the same roof, and giving each of them their moment in the sun. The film racked up $1.15 billion globally. 9. Black Panther (2018) [caption id=“attachment_4384531” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  A still from Black Panther/Image from Twitter.[/caption] Arguably one of the most political film to have been churned out by MCU, Black Panther is the first solo superhero movie to surpass the billion-dollar threshold worldwide (1.34 billion). The Ryan Coogler directorial is the the highest grossing film by a black director and the third grossing film of MCU. Black Panther was also the first film to hold the number one spot at the box office for at least five weekends since Avatar in 2009. 10. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) [caption id=“attachment_4445345” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Avengers: Age of Ultron poster[/caption] It’s  not surprising that Endgame is shattering records even before its theatrical release, considering all the three films in the Avengers franchise have been money-spinning mega-hits. While Age of Ultron may be the lowest scorer in the Avengers line-up, it still has a ginormous $1.4 billion in its casket to boast. Arriving three years after the first movie, Age of Ultron is considered as the pinnacle of branded, big-studio, big-budget extravaganza that fulfilled its primary function to the hilt — to entertain. 11. Avengers: Infinity War (2018) [caption id=“attachment_6455751” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Avengers: Inifinity War poster[/caption] A film about the mightiest superheroes joining forces was perhaps the most anticipated film of 2018, and deliver it did! Not only did it crash box office records of previous MCU films, it was also its biggest and most ambitious project. With the cliffhanger of the century (that of universal annihilation, for the uninitiated), Infinity War brimmed with spectacularly tense moments in a magnum opus. It was the fourth film and the first superhero film to gross over $2 billion worldwide ($2.04 billion) and also fourth highest-grossing film of all time. (All figures have been taken from Box Office Mojo.)