During Marvel Studios’ 2010s heyday, they had the ability to turn even the most obscure comic book characters into household names. Everyone from the Guardians of the Galaxy to Ant-Man to Black Panther headlined successful films, proving Marvel didn’t need its A-list crop of superheroes to deliver a record-breaking blockbuster. As the Infinity Saga approached its epic conclusion, it truly felt like Marvel Studios could do no wrong. Just a couple of months before the release of Avengers: Endgame, one of Marvel’s most powerful characters finally got a chance to shine on the big screen, but the movie’s release marked the end of an era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe in some way.
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On March 8, 2019, Captain Marvel premiered in theaters. Bolstered by positive reviews, the film broke some notable box office records of its own as it marched its way to a $1.131 billion global haul at the box office. At the time of its release, Captain Marvel served as further proof that any Marvel character could be a movie star, but, incredibly, this was the last time a non-sequel MCU movie grossed over $1 billion. The four that have accomplished the feat since — Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Deadpool & Wolverine — are all follow-ups to lucrative franchises.
How Captain Marvel Grossed $1 Billion
By the time Captain Marvel arrived, anticipation for future Marvel movies was at a fever pitch. Audiences were just coming off of the major hit that was Avengers: Infinity War, which threw viewers for a loop with its shocking cliffhanger ending. Infinity War‘s post-credits scene teased the important role Carol Danvers would play in Endgame, which only increased demand to see Captain Marvel as soon as possible. Not only was it the latest Marvel movie debuting in the midst of the MCU’s hottest streak, it was also a very important chapter introducing a key new hero who would help defeat Thanos.
Releasing in the sweet spot between Infinity War and Endgame definitely gave Captain Marvel a boost. In the build-up to Endgame, any new Marvel release was deemed a must-see because fans were eager to see how everything connected ahead of the Infinity Saga finale. But to say its release window is the only reason why Captain Marvel grossed $1 billion would be a disservice to the film. On its own, in a vacuum removed from any Avengers hype, Captain Marvel stands strong on its own merits. It’s a fun origin story that also works as a prequel of sorts for the entire Avengers Initiative that defined the Infinity Saga, depicting a younger Nick Fury’s first encounter with super-powered beings. The 1990s period setting helped Captain Marvel stand apart from other Marvel movies by giving it a nostalgia-fueled hook that resonated with Millennial moviegoers.
Captain Marvel was also notable for being the first MCU installment headlined by a female character. There had been female-led superhero movies before (including DC’s hit Wonder Woman just a couple years prior), but it was still exciting to see the industry’s biggest comic book franchise take this important step forward. It was something fans felt was long overdue (there had been many calls for a Black Widow solo movie by this point); similar to how Black Panther was a meaningful milestone for on-screen representation a year before, many people were excited for Captain Marvel because of what it meant. While the film was subject to review bombing, that proved to be a vocal minority, as many people were happy to come out and support Captain Marvel.
After the groundbreaking success of Captain Marvel, fans probably assumed Carol Danvers would become one of the new faces of the MCU as the franchise entered its post-Endgame era. Surprisingly, Captain Marvel ended up being a case of catching lightning in a bottle, as Marvel wasn’t able to replicate its performance. Sequel The Marvels, which released in 2023, is actually the MCU’s lowest-grossing installment, making just $206.1 million worldwide. The futures of characters like Carol Danvers, Kamala Khan, and Monica Rambeau are unknown, as so far, they have not been officially confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars.
Will A Non-Sequel Marvel Movie Ever Make $1 Billion Again?
In the seven years since Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame premiered, the MCU’s highest-grossing non-sequel is The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which earned $521.8 million worldwide last summer. Some of these non-sequels, like Shang-Chi and Eternals, had their performances impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but that statistic is still an illustration of how the MCU’s reputation has changed over the past handful of years. During the Infinity Saga, three non-sequels (The Avengers, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel) made over $1 billion, a milestone no non-sequel from the Multiverse Saga will reach. The final three films of this era are all follow-ups.
Whether another Marvel non-sequel ever reaches those heights again will depend on a variety of factors. First, the pandemic fundamentally changed moviegoing habits forever, and it’s become harder for movies to hit the $1 billion mark. Post-pandemic, there have been a total of 12 movies to gross that much. There were nine in 2019 alone. In the 2010s, an average of nearly 4 movies per year grossed $1 billion. In the first six years of the 2020s, that figure has dropped to an even 2 movies per year. Shortened theatrical windows and the prevalence of streaming services have made it easier than ever to wait for the newest releases to hit home media — even when they’re part of a major franchise like Marvel.
However, there are signs that things could be reverting back to a semblance of pre-pandemic normalcy. Of the 12 movies to hit $1 billion this decade, four of them released in 2025. That’s the highest number of $1 billion films to premiere in the same calendar year since the aforementioned 2019, and there’s a good chance it won’t be a fluke. There are several high-profile blockbusters on the horizon this year that could realistically hit $1 billion, four of which debut over a six-week stretch this summer. Granted, these are all continuations of sorts, but it’s still encouraging to see that the $1 billion tentpole might become more common again in the back half of the 2020s.
Box office numbers trending back to pre-pandemic levels would obviously be a boon for Marvel, but it remains to be seen how many non-sequels the studio makes moving forward. In an effort to get the franchise back on track, Kevin Feige and Co. are scaling back on output, limiting the number of new films that come out each year. Considering Marvel’s recent box office struggles, there’s a belief that they could opt to focus more on premier characters like Spider-Man since they’re considered to be safer commercial bets. In the past, Marvel could afford to take chances on the Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man, but now the MCU needs to string some hits together. With that in mind, the next non-sequel that could hit $1 billion is the X-Men reboot, which comes with the caveat that it’s a reboot of a popular film franchise. Still, it technically wouldn’t be a sequel to the Fox movies, so it would count.
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Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme -
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