11 Incredibly Successful Movies (That Shockingly Made No Profit)

X-Men may have started the superhero genre's dominance in the 21st century, but it was Spider-Man that kicked it into hyperdrive. With well over $800 million in box office receipts, you'd expect it to be hugely profitable.

It sure wasn't for Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee, though.

In 1998, the late, great Stan Lee signed an agreement with Marvel that entitled him to a 10% share of profits from movies and TV shows based on characters he created, which of course includes our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

The producers of 2002's Spider-Man, however, claimed that it didn't make any profit as Lee's contract defined, so he got nothing.

So, in November of that year, Lee filed suit against Marvel for what was owed to him, which he claimed was about $10 million. Lee ultimately won out, as Marvel settled with him in 2005, ensuring he got that 10% of profits for future movies.