Marvel Movies Have Earned More Than Double Scorsese and Coppola’s Box Office Hauls Combined

If you’re reading this, you’re likely well aware by now acclaimed filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppolla aren’t the biggest fans of Marvel movies. While Scorsese has been much more kind in his comments, Coppola was brutally honest in one recent interview, calling Marvel movies despicable. Despicable or not, Marvel Studios itself has made a whole load of cash in the past 11 years. In fact, the studio has made more than double the entire slate of films directed by the two filmmakers combined. You read that right — a decade and 23 movies later, Marvel Studios has grossed an amount the two won’t come close to touching in their careers.

Before we get too involved in the numbers, it should be noted this isn’t a hit piece on either Scorsese or Coppola. Admittedly, it’s a lop-sided argument when comparing a full studio to two single filmmakers. Rather, it’s meant to show how much these films have made for corporate Hollywood in a world where checkbooks do the most talking.

When it comes to domestic box office hauls, Marvel Studios has tallied an astonishing $8.54 billion in box office receipts over the course of 23 films, or an average of $371.53m per production. Out of the two Marvel critics, Coppola is the better-performing filmmaker commercially; his catalog has grossed $2.36b (when adjusted for inflation) for an average of $139.21m per movie. Scorsese, on the other hand, has grossed $1.81b through 24 movies, an average of $75.78m per film.

Marvel’s highest-grossing film has been Avengers: Endgame ($858.37m), followed by Coppola’s The Godfather ($711.09m), and Scorsese’s The Departed ($181.28m). If we care to drill down to a micro-level, even the smaller catalog from the Russo Brothers (six features; $2.31b) still out-grosses Scorsese’s box office hauls by half a billion dollars.

The great thing about movies is the fact the content and quality of the film will always be subjective, allowing every one of us to express our opinions of whatever we manage to catch at the cinema. When it comes to the numbers, however, it’s hard to deny a studio has something special when it routinely punches out movies that manage to gross $200m+ domestically. On that front, Scorsese’s had just four films that have grossed more than Marvel’s worst-performer at the box office (The Incredible Hulk, $134.8m); Coppola has had six, including The Godfather Part III.

What’s your favorite MCU movie of all time? Share your thoughts on what makes it your favorite in the comments below!

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