Marvel Cinematic Universe Hits $7 Billion At Worldwide Box Office

Earlier this week, the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe surpassed $7 billion in global box office sales, making it one of the most commercially successful film franchises of all time.

That includes $1.33 billion generated from Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy so far -- and still growing; Guardians just opened in Japan and has a few other markets, including China, where it still isn't out yet.

Based on The Numbers, this moves the Marvel Cinematic Universe (there listed as "The Avengers") to the #2 spot all time behind only the Harry Potter film franchise, which has raised $7.7 billion globally.

Of course, the next Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Avengers: Age of Ultron, is expected to eclipse $1 billion globally, moving Marvel at least temporarily into the #1 spot. Both Harry Potter and the #3 franchise, James Bond with $6.2 billion globally, have movies set to hit theaters in the next couple of years, and Harry Potter is widely expected to have at least two sequels if Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them performs financially.

Even so -- and even with a pair of films in Ant-Man and Doctor Strange which are expected to make somewhat less than the average Marvel movie coming up -- it's hard to ignore that Marvel will continue to have at least two movies per year coming out for the foreseeable future, while Potter and Bond will have, at the very best, one every couple of years. By the time Marvel cracks the $8 billion mark, it may be the first franchise to do so -- and will likely continue to lead the pack for the foreseeable future.