15 Highest Grossing Movies Of The Decade: Ranked Worst To Best

4. The Avengers

Worldwide Box Office: $1.519 billion

All-Time Ranking: #5

2010s Ranking: #3

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is now such a bankable property, able to turn just about anything into a box office sure thing, that's it's hard to remember that in 2012 The Avengers was viewed as a massive gamble. With the likes of Spider-Man tied up at other studios, it was a crossover movie of former B-list heroes on a scale that had never been attempted. Obviously there was no need to worry - it was an absolute smash-hit that got every other studio fast-tracking their own shared universes.

The film's genius is taking this behind-the-scenes uncertainty and making in the point of the story; can these strong personalities work together in a coherent team. And the reason for that being so prominent stems from the hiring of Joss Whedon, who was given clear free reign to weave his expert ensemble storytelling and inject the movie full of geeky quirks.

Only his second movie after beloved but financially shaky Serenity, it was a bold move on Marvel's part to have the TV genius take the helm of their biggest movie yet, but they clearly saw that Whedon's intimate understanding of character was exactly what was needed to make the film work. With that in mind, his eye for action is a notable surprise; the sequences he constructs unfold in three dimensions yet always remain coherent, making the film as thrilling as a piece of spectacle as it is for simply existing.