TheMarvel Cinematic Universehas a $16.5 billion solution to its recent box office woes. As far asMarvel’s 2025 moviesare concerned, conversations about box office have perhaps been the most prevalent. Profit and loss discussions are becoming more commonplace with big superhero franchises, as evidenced by the talk surroundingSuperman’s box office, too.
Where the MCU is concerned, this conversation has spawned from the franchise’s period of uncertainty. While some movies have performed, others have not, marking a huge difference from the seemingly endless success of the Infinity Saga between 2012 and 2019. Now, this churn of extremely profitable movies has been reduced, with several2025 movies deserving better at the box office.
Marvel’s 2026 movieswill look to reinstate this success of old, bringing the MCU back to its once-held spot as the king of the box office. Interestingly, despite recent missteps, the franchise has a $16.5 billion trump card that will almost certainly make Marvel Studios' box office blunders a thing of the past.
The MCU Has Suffered At The Box Office Recently
Firstly, though, it is worth exploring exactly how the MCU has suffered of late. Phase 5, specifically, highlights a lot of the MCU’s box office problems. Although some Phase 4 movies underperformed, too, they were mostly those released in 2021. This meant they suffered from the back end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The same cannot be said for the MCU’s Phase 5 and the beginning of Phase 6, however, which have fluctuated regarding box office success.Of the MCU’s last seven theatrical releases, only two have turned a significant profit.These wereGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3andDeadpool & Wolverine.
The former earned a worldwide $845 million against a $250 million budget, whileDeadpool & Wolverinegrossed $1.3 billion worldwide against a budget of $200 million. Beyond that, Marvel’s efforts since 2023 have been financially underwhelming.Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniaopened Phase 5, grossing $476 million against a staggering $388 million budget.
The Marvelsclosed out 2023 for the MCU and had an equally massive budget of $375 million, earning only $200 million. This rendered it theMCU movie with the lowest box officein history, taking the unwanted record fromThe Incredible Hulk.
Captain America: Brave New WorldandThunderbolts*fixed Marvel’s budgetary issues by costing $180 million apiece. Even still, the former only earned $415 million worldwide, with the latter’s final haul standing at $382 million. Finally, there isThe Fantastic Four: First Steps,which, despite still playing in theaters, has only earned a worldwide total of $378 million against an estimated $200 million budget.
All of these figures prove that the MCU’s once-guaranteed box office success has become much more uncertainof late. That said, the franchise has an almost immediate fix on its hands when looking atupcoming Marvel movies. For the first time in many years, the MCU’s future box office success looks all but guaranteed.
The MCU’s Next Three Movies Look Set To Turn Things Around Based On Their $16.5 Billion History
AfterThe Fantastic Four: First Steps, only three MCU movies have been confirmed for theatrical release dates. Although there are likely to be more, potentially for a 2027 release, the three in question will seemingly right the ship for Marvel Studios concerning box office receipts.The three upcoming Marvel movies areSpider-Man: Brand New Day,Avengers: Doomsday, andAvengers: Secret Wars.
Spider-Man: Brand New Dayis the most immediate MCU movie, set for release in July 2026. This film is essentially guaranteed to be a hit, given the long-standing success of theSpider-Manfranchise. The last two MCUSpider-Manmovies,Far From HomeandNo Way Home, grossed $1.1 billion and $1.9 billion, respectively.
Then there are Marvel’sAvengersmovies, with the four released so far having earned a worldwide total of $7.6 billion. This is all without mentioning theSpider-Manmovies outside of the MCU. Even the lowest-rankedSpider-Manmovies have been successful, proving that the MCU’s future at the box office is nothing to worry about.
$822,652,467
$795,888,127
$895,937,268
$1,515,100,211
$758,576,824
$709,672,746
$1,395,316,979
$878,852,749
$2,048,359,754
$373,807,069
$2,717,503,922
$1,132,298,674
$1,921,206,586
$681,138,413
Total
$16,646,911,789
If these totals are anything to go by, it is clear that Marvel Studios does not have to worry about future MCU films.Spider-Man: Brand New Daywill undoubtedly capitalize on the titular hero’s popularity, while both upcomingAvengersmovies are likely to cross the $1 billion milestone with relative ease.
Marvel’s Post-Avengers: Secret Wars Future Looks Promising Too
Even beyondAvengers: Secret Wars, the future of the MCU at the box office still looks promising. Recently,Varietyconducted a report focusing on the future of the MCU. In this report, it was claimed that thestory ofBlack Panther 3and Marvel Studios' ownX-Menmovie will be priorities for the MCU going forward.
If this is true, the MCU is still in good hands beyondAvengers: Secret Wars. TheBlack Panthermovies, despite there only being two, are worth over $2 billion alone. Then you have the sprawlingtimeline ofX-Menmovies, which has proven to be worth over $7 billion.
Marvel Studios prioritising these productions afterAvengers: Secret Warswould only aid the MCU’s resurgence from a box office perspective. The most immediate three movies in the franchise will kickstart this, butBlack Panther 3andX-Mencould solidifiy theMarvel Cinematic Universeas a titan at the box office once more.
