The latest Marvel film is hitting screens later this month, and Avengers: Endgame will need to generate a gross profit of over £1.23 billion to be considered the most successful film from the franchise, according to new research.
The findings, from leading savings site VoucherCodes.co.uk, reveal that the film will have to be a hit with critics and fans alike as it is facing fierce competition from Black Panther (critics’ score of 97%) and Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which both scored 92% from fans.
Endgame also has a tough task on its hands to better its prequels – of the 10 Marvel sequels that have been made, only 30% have been more successful than their originals.
One exception is Captain America where both sequels have outshone Captain America: The First Avenger, with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War exceeding box office takings, audience reviews, and critics’ reviews compared to the first. The third in the Thor trilogy, Thor Ragnarok, is also considered the most successful of the three.
Money, money, money
Iron Man got the Marvel series off to a flying start in 2008, with Tony Stark’s hero bringing in a profit of £224 million, but the franchise has kicked on considerably since then. Just one of the 21 movies (The Incredible Hulk) made a loss at the box office, with Avengers: Infinity War becoming the first film to tip the £1 billion-mark last year.
Most profitable Marvel films:
| Film | Year | Worldwide Gross | Budget | Gross Profit |
| Avengers: Infinity War | 2018 | £1,461,300,000 | £229,001,000 | £1,232,299,000 |
| Black Panther | 2018 | £960,887,000 | £142,680,000 | £818,207,000 |
| The Avengers | 2012 | £948,121,000 | £137,335,000 | £810,786,000 |
| Avengers: Age of Ultron | 2015 | £949,250,000 | £168,857,000 | £780,393,000 |
| Iron Man 3 | 2013 | £798,729,000 | £131,498,000 | £667,231,000 |
Least profitable Marvel films:
| Film | Year | Worldwide Gross | Budget | Gross Profit |
| The Incredible Hulk | 2008 | £64,482,700 | £75,372,700 | -£10,890,000 |
| Captain America: The First Avenger | 2011 | £230,387,000 | £87,039,300 | £143,347,700 |
| Thor | 2011 | £279,350,000 | £93,256,400 | £186,093,600 |
| Iron Man | 2008 | £294,041,000 | £70,347,900 | £223,693,100 |
| Ant Man | 2015 | £350,758,000 | £87,805,800 | £262,952,200 |
Everyone’s a critic
As well as achieving financial success, Black Panther managed to smash the critics’ reviews with a score of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. With The Incredible Hulk also performing poorly with reviewers, who gave it a 67% rating, the critics opinions aligned with audience attendances. Thor: The Dark World had the most disappointing reviews though, with just 66% approval.
Highest film critics’ ratings:
| Film | Year of Release | Critics’ Review (%) |
| Black Panther | 2018 | 97% |
| Iron Man | 2008 | 93% |
| Thor: Ragnarok | 2017 | 92% |
| Spiderman: Homecoming | 2017 | 92% |
| The Avengers | 2012 | 92% |
Lowest film critics’ ratings:
| Film | Year of Release | Critics’ Review (%) |
| Thor: The Dark World | 2013 | 66% |
| The Incredible Hulk | 2008 | 67% |
| Iron Man 2 | 2010 | 73% |
| Avengers: Age of Ultron | 2015 | 75% |
| Thor | 2011 | 77% |
Audience cast their votes
Despite the impressive box office figures, Captain Marvel is the lowest rated by the audience (58%) but this could still change as it only hit cinemas in March 2019.
They may not have made the top five with the critics, but Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy are the top of the charts as far as viewers are concerned, both achieving a Rotten Tomatoes score of 92%.
Highest audience ratings:
| Film | Year of Release | Audience Review (%) |
| Captain America: The Winter Soldier | 2014 | 92% |
| Guardians of the Galaxy | 2014 | 92% |
| Iron Man | 2008 | 91% |
| The Avengers | 2012 | 91% |
| Avengers: Infinity War | 2018 | 91% |
Lowest audience ratings:
| Film | Year of Release | Audience Review (%) |
| Captain Marvel | 2019 | 58% |
| The Incredible Hulk | 2008 | 70% |
| Iron Man 2 | 2010 | 71% |
| Captain America: The First Avenger | 2011 | 74% |
| Thor | 2011 | 76% |
Anita Naik, Lifestyle Editor at VoucherCodes.co.uk commented: “Avengers: Endgame is undoubtedly one of the most highly anticipated films of 2019, and the hype continues to build as we approach the release on 26th April. With the recent Marvel films setting extremely high expectations for critics and audience ratings, as well as profitability, the film could not only become the most successful Marvel film of all time, but the most successful film of all time, if these expectations are met.
“We’re expecting the whole team (or those that are left) to come out all guns blazing and show us the best of the Marvel universe, in acting, directing, production, and special effects, with a satisfying conclusion for all and a few surprises along the way. No easy feat!
“Book your tickets in advance to make sure you’re the first to experience the team’s final adventure, and check out our fun quiz to find out which Avenger you are, and whether you survived the snap of Thanos!”
