Summary
Deadpool & Wolverinehas crossed $1 billion at the worldwide box office, begging the question of which Marvel movie will be the next to hit the milestone. Regarding box office receipts, the MCU is the most successful franchise in film history. Thebox office total of all MCU moviessurpassed a staggering $30 billion with the release ofDeadpool & Wolverine, proving how much of an impact the franchise has had on the industry. That said, there are someMCU franchises with lower box officethan others, most being made worse in recent years.
For example, theAnt-Manfranchise is one of Marvel’s lowest earners, compounded byAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s poor performance in 2023. This year also sawThe Marvelsbecome Marvel’s biggest flop, a far cry fromAvengers: Endgamebeing thehighest-grossing Marvel movie of all time. After a difficult few years,Deadpool & Wolverinehas seemingly got Marvel back on track. Thanks toDeadpool & Wolverine’s cameo-filled storyand its fun, easygoing tone, the film managed to cross $1 billion for the first time sinceEndgame. Now, the question turns to which MCU film will be next to do so.
Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home also crossed $1 billion since Endgame, but neither was produced by Marvel with the profits going to Sony Pictures.
A 2025 MCU Movie Could Surpass $1 Billion At The Box Office
2025 Contains A Highly-Anticipated MCU Movie
In 2025, there are three upcoming Marvel movies. These areCaptain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*,andThe Fantastic Four: First Steps.Bladeis also scheduled for 2025, though it is highly likely the film will be delayed due to the production issues it continuously faces. Of the three aforementioned projects,The Fantastic Four: First Stepsis the most likely to hit $1 billion at the worldwide box office.
Captain America 4andThunderbolts*are both exciting projects, though they will arguably be more grounded and self-contained thanThe Fantastic Four. It has already been revealed that the latter will tie intrinsically toAvengers: Doomsday, meaning it could pass $1 billion asCaptain Marveldid due to its ties toAvengers: Endgame. Similarly, many are excited to see a goodFantastic Fouradaptation after two below-par ones, with the casting alone for the MCU movie maintaining hype for over two years. The eventualcast ofFantastic Fourwas stacked with popular actors, only benefiting the film’s box office chances.
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Was Deadpool & Wolverine A Fluke Or Is Marvel Back As The King Of The Box Office?
Can Marvel Recapture Former Glory After 2024’s Successes?
AlthoughDeadpool & Wolverineis an obvious success for Marvel, many are still deeming it a fluke for Marvel. After all,Deadpool & Wolverine’s post-credit scene made it clear that the movie was a love letter to Fox’sX-Menuniverse - if the film itself had not made that evident already. It remains the case that, while the film included MCU-centric elements, it leaned more on Marvel’s cinematic legacy than the future of the franchise as people were expecting.
Given the focus of the film on elements that originated outside of the MCU,the future of Marvel’s box office will be decided by 2025’s movies.Captain America 4andThunderbolts*are stories set firmly in the MCU’s prime timeline, with characters who have been integral to the Infinity Saga and Multiverse Saga thus far. As such, these movies will have to perform to a high standard to prove thatDeadpool & Wolverinewas not just a fluke. If indeed they do, Marvel might truly be back on top after years of uncertainty.
Captain America 4, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four feed into Disney CEO Bob Iger’s desire for Marvel to focus on popular franchises, meaning they almost have to perform well to prove the MCU can sustain future success.
Marvel Has 2 Surefire Box Office Hits On Its Hands
Two Upcoming Movies Are Guaranteed Billion-Dollar Hits
Looking beyond 2025, it is clear that Marvel Studios has two guaranteed box office successes in the works. Of course, the movies in question areAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars. It is all but guaranteed that anyAvengersmovie will surpass the $1 billion milestone after the success of Marvel’s previous installments, let alone two that are integral to the state of the Multiverse Saga.
The casting choice of RDJ as Doom alone will likely be enough to propel the movie past $1 billion…
Avengers: Doomsdayis shaping up to be equal parts exciting and intriguing, with Robert Downey Jr. playing Doctor Doom. The casting choice was certainly divisive, though it became one of the biggest pieces of news in recent years concerning superhero cinema. Whether it works out or not remains to be seen, but the casting choice of RDJ as Doom alone will likely be enough to propel the movie past $1 billion. When combined with the implications it has on the wider franchise and the return of the Russo Brothers as directors,Avengers: Doomsdayis certain to be a hit for Marvel.
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Avengers: Secret Warswill then stem directly fromDoomsday’s story, again with the Russos at the helm. The Russos have long expressed their desire to adaptSecret Wars, their favorite story in the Marvel Comics library. This passion, along with the promise of endless Marvel cameos from across the multiverse, will seeAvengers: Secret Warsmatch and likely even surpass its predecessor at the box office. However, whether the MCU has another $1 billion hit betweenDeadpool & Wolverineand the Phase 6 movie is unclear, thoughThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsoffers a good chance of this coming to fruition.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Cast
A follow-up to the highly successful Deadpool and Deadpool 2 films starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth. The third film will be the first in the franchise to be developed under the Marvel Studios banner following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
