Ranking Marvel’s Phase Five Movies By How Much They Made At The Box Office

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s sixth phase commences with ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’. This extended series, which also includes ‘Spider-Man: A Fresh Start’ and two upcoming ‘Avengers’ movies like ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’, is a significant part of the ongoing franchise. It’s astounding to consider that the MCU has evolved over six distinct phases, but due to the complexity post-‘Avengers: Endgame’, it can be challenging to pinpoint the exact start and end of these phases.

To give you an idea, many people attending the movies probably didn’t realize that “Thunderbolts*” marked the conclusion of Marvel’s summer 2025 lineup, which was Phase Five. This group of six films attempted to combine cinema and television, but the results were mostly disappointing. Moreover, it hinted at a future focused on Kang, but this never materialized. Additionally, the financial performance of these six movies was less consistent than Phases Three and Four.

This version attempts to maintain the original’s structure while using simpler language and a more conversational tone.

During Phase Five, only movies made with over $600 million globally succeeded, whereas about half of these films fell short of $420 million worldwide, resulting in losses for Marvel Studios and Disney. Arranging the Phase Five MCU films from lowest to highest global box office earnings highlights how difficult and disheartening this period was for Marvel. Fingers crossed that “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” marks the beginning of a more profitable and creatively sound Phase Six.

6. The Marvels

2023 marked the year when the seemingly invincible Marvel Cinematic Universe lost its grip on pop culture dominance. The movie “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” released in February 2023, which was a financial flop and negatively impacted future projects like “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.” Additionally, the Disney+ series “Secret Invasion,” launched in June 2023, turned out to be an expensive failure, further highlighting Marvel Studios’ struggles with creating successful streaming shows.

In November 2023, the movie titled “The Marvels” was released. This production faced challenges that were common within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in 2023, such as integrating storylines from Disney+ series and addressing overarching issues. Unfortunately, “The Marvels” underperformed significantly, earning only $206.1 million worldwide, a record-low for any MCU film. In North America alone, it made just $88 million, making it the first time an MCU entry failed to reach a nine-digit figure in this region. With a production cost of $374 million, “The Marvels” resulted in a reported loss of $237 million for Disney and Marvel Studios.

2023 saw numerous Marvel films that were met with disapproval and indifference by audiences, and it’s understandable that “The Marvels” was received with nonchalance. For years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) thrived at the box office due to positive word-of-mouth and trust in Marvel Studios for delivering enjoyable movie experiences. However, the underwhelming performances of “Quantumania” and “Secret Invasion” dampened that trust, which negatively impacted films like “The Marvels.” This disappointing outcome marked a tough year for Marvel.

5. Thunderbolts*

Instead of many Phase Five MCU films, “Thunderbolts*” received positive reviews from both critics and audiences. The movie centers around anti-heroes such as Yelena Belova (played by Florence Pugh), Alexei “Red Guardian” Shostakov (David Harbour), and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). They join forces to save the world, which was highly appreciated for its more personal narrative and dedication to delving into heavier topics like mental health issues. The strong acting from Pugh, Harbour, and Lewis Pullman further solidified that this production was not met with the less favorable criticisms experienced by “Captain America: Brave New World” or “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Regrettably, the film “Thunderbolts” failed to impress at the box office during its summer 2025 release. Despite being billed as the finale for Phase Five, it only managed to earn a global revenue of $382 million, with just $190 million coming from North America. The international earnings were even worse, totaling a disappointing $191 million. This is a significant drop compared to MCU films from the 2010s, which effortlessly exceeded half a billion dollars overseas without much effort. Given its production cost of $180 million, “Thunderbolts” fell far short of recouping its expenses.

The combined factors seemed to limit the movie’s ability to succeed at the box office. For instance, despite receiving positive word-of-mouth, “Thunderbolts*” was a more serious story that wasn’t as appealing for repeat viewings compared to lighter movies like “The Avengers.” Additionally, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige suggested that audiences may have avoided it because they believed watching Disney+ Marvel shows was necessary to follow the plot. Ultimately, “Thunderbolts*” struggled to turn positive reviews into a highly profitable box office performance.

4. Captain America: Brave New World

It’s fortunate for everyone associated with “Captain America: Brave New World” that it was released when it was, specifically over the President’s Day weekend in 2025. At this time, there were no other PG-13 blockbusters competing in the marketplace. Moreover, debuting during a holiday period provided an additional boost. Without these factors, the film’s domestic performance might have significantly declined. Even with strong marketing promoting a confrontation between Sam Wilson/Captain America (Anthony Mackie) and President Ross/Red Hulk (Harrison Ford), “Brave New World” still incurred losses at the box office.

Globally, “Brave New World” earned a total of approximately $413.64 million. This includes $200.5 million from North America, which is significantly less than half of what “Captain America: Civil War” made in the same region nine years prior. In terms of global revenue, it fell short of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” a film that was among the first major releases in North America following the disruption caused by COVID-19 to the cinema industry. With a production cost of $180 million, “Brave New World” failed to generate enough revenue during its theatrical run to cover its expenses.

It’s not hard to understand why the film “Brave New World” didn’t do well at the cinema. Given that it received the poorest CinemaScore grade ever for a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) installment, it seems that audiences didn’t find this “Captain America” story appealing. If it weren’t for its release date, the box office performance would have been even poorer.

3. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Quantumania” launched Phase Five by plunging Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and his companions into a massive cosmic journey entirely within the Quantum Realm. This change introduced grand action scenes that sometimes contrasted with Ant-Man’s ability to shrink, replacing the cozy charm of the earlier movies with more complex computer-generated effects.

In the original script for “Quantumania”, directed by Peyton Reed, the antagonist, Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), was set to steer the course of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) storylines for the upcoming decade. Unfortunately, during production, everything that could potentially go awry did. The film carried a hefty $326 million price tag, yet managed to garner only $476 million globally, falling short of both earlier, more affordable “Ant-Man” films’ global earnings. Furthermore, negative word-of-mouth following its initial release led to a significant drop in interest, with the movie losing 70% of its domestic audience within just two weeks after release.

It’s clear that the rapid decline in audience interest shows that both moviegoers and Marvel Cinematic Universe fans weren’t fond of the chaos in “Quantumania.” Unlike the first two “Ant-Man” films, which offered enjoyable family-friendly entertainment, this 2023 release seemed more focused on setting up the franchise rather than providing heart. This resulted in a disappointing box office performance and increased doubt among the audience about the Marvel Studios brand. After this, Marvel quickly changed their future plans, including possibly saying goodbye to Kang, to avoid repeating the creative errors that led to “Quantumania’s” poor box office reception.

2. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

It seemed for a brief instant that there might be an issue with the domestic box office performance of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”. Despite bringing in $118 million during its first three days, this was significantly lower than the $146 million opening of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” six years prior. The leading hypothesis following this premiere is that disappointing films like “Quantumania” and “Thor: Love and Thunder” may have caused Marvel fatigue among audiences, even affecting the previously invincible Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) and his team.

In contrast to expectations, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ had an incredibly strong second weekend at the box office for an MCU film. Widespread positive word-of-mouth led many to believe this wasn’t another polarizing MCU film like ‘Quantumania’, but instead, a crowd-pleaser reminiscent of the cherished first two ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ movies. In the end, the film proved to be successful, earning $360 million in North America and an impressive $845.5 million globally.

James Gunn demonstrates a knack for crafting entertaining comic book movies, a skill that has made audiences eager to rewatch his films and recommend them to others. This talent has significantly contributed to the box office success of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” extending its reach far past its initial release in domestic cinemas.

1. Deadpool and Wolverine

As a die-hard gamer and Marvel fan, if I were given the chance to predict which Phase Five MCU film would be a surefire hit financially at Marvel Studios, it wouldn’t take a genius to guess – it was all about “Deadpool teaming up with Wolverine.” The box office success of the initial two “Deadpool” films alone was enough to instill confidence, but the idea of pairing Ryan Reynolds’ smart-mouthed Deadpool with Hugh Jackman’s gritty Wolverine for the first time promised something fresh and exciting.

In late July 2024, I was absolutely blown away by the release of “Deadpool and Wolverine” in cinemas. From the very first weekend, it was clear that this film had struck a chord with audiences, as it raked in an enormous global box office take. To put things into perspective, six years since “Deadpool 2,” only one out of the initial three Phase Five MCU movies had managed to gross over $500 million worldwide. Director Shawn Levy’s masterpiece effortlessly surpassed that milestone with a staggering $1.33 billion global haul, making it not just one of the biggest movies ever made but also 2024’s highest-grossing live-action film globally – all thanks to those iconic mutant characters!

The initial R-rated film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe amassed an impressive amount of box office success, with its appeal stemming from the nostalgic connection it made to comic book movie fans by featuring characters like Deadpool and Wolverine. Adding to this was the anticipation among viewers to see Hugh Jackman portray a more faithful adaptation of Wolverine’s costume as seen in the comics.

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2025-07-24 04:31