Marvel’s first 10 movies so far have opened to first place at the box office on all their respective opening weekends, and that’s just the beginning of the studio’s impressive numbers game.
At a special event Tuesday for press and fans, Marvel head Kevin Feige unveiled every title in the studio’s Phase 3 of its Marvel Cinematic Universe, confirming release dates for the first time long-rumored projects like “Doctor Strange” and “Inhumans.”
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In its ever-increasing ambition, the number of Marvel movies in Phase 3 will double the number of films in Phase 1 and 2 combined. Additionally, Marvel also cemented their first non-white-male led superhero films. “Black Panther,” to star Chadwick Boseman, will be released in 2017, while the female-led and still yet-to-be-cast “Captain Marvel” will follow in 2018.
Also read: Marvel Unveils Phase Three: How the Studio Trumped Warner Bros. and What It All Means
Here are some other numbers Marvel has amassed over the years:
6: The number of years Marvel Studios have been financing their own films, starting with “Iron Man” in 2008. In that time, the studio has released 10 films and made over $7.1 billion worldwide. All 10 films opened at #1 their respective opening weekends. The first four films were released by Paramount, before Disney took over and released the latest six.
Also read: Chadwick Boseman to Star in Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’
$585 million: The highest global box office for a non-sequel original Marvel film pre-“The Avengers,” held by the superhero that kicked it all off: “Iron Man,” in 2008. The films that followed, “The Incredible Hulk” (2008, $263.1 million global box office), “Thor” (2011, $449.3 million global) and “Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011, $370.5 million global) failed to hit that high target. Of course, “The Avengers” came along in 2012 and demolished that number, earning over $1.518 billion worldwide.
11: The number of movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that will be released between 2015 and 2019. “Avengers: Age of Ultron” kicks things off on May 1, 2015 and another “Avengers” team-up, “Infinity War,” will wrap things up on May 3, 2019. In between, Marvel announced eight new films Tuesday in addition to the previously confirmed “Ant-Man.” Among the other non-sequels are “Doctor Strange,” which will be released on No 4, 2016, Chadwick Boseman-led “Black Panther,” which will drop Nov 3, 2017, the female-led “Captain Marvel,” set for a July 6, 2018 release and “Inhumans,” earmarked for Nov 2, 2018.
Also read: Marvel Announces ‘Black Panther,’ ‘Captain Marvel,’ ‘Inhumans’ Movies
4.24 billion: How much Disney acquired Marvel Entertainment for in 2009. Under the deal, the Mouse House has distributed five of the studio’s latest films. They’ve already made back their investment in box office alone, and that’s before factoring in licensing, home video and merchandising revenue.
3: The number of Marvel films released thus far that have received less than A Cinemascores from the general moviegoing audience. The film most beloved by the audience is “The Avengers,” which received an A+ Cinemascore, while the first “Thor” movie got the lowest Cinemascore with a B+. “The Incredible Hulk” got an A-, as did “Thor: The Dark World.” Critics mostly agreed with fans. “The Dark World” got a 65% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest of the bunch, while “Hulk” also came in low at 67%. Critics disagreed with fans on “Iron Man 2.” They gave it an A Cinemascore, but it got only a 73% on RT.