20 Most Important Blockbusters That Changed Cinema Forever

9. The Avengers

Ever since Nick Fury swung by to say hello at the end of Iron Man the Marvel Cinematic Universe had been building a shared universe for all its characters, but it wasn't until The Avengers four years later that we knew they'd properly pulled it off. Mirroring the massive continuity of the comics, the MCU stands at the forefront of popular blockbuster filmmaking, with its impact set to be felt long into the future.

Obviously what's happening with The Sinister Six and Batman V Superman is in direct response to The Avengers success, but the shift Joss Whedon's team-up really marked is bigger than that; it's all about what your characters are doing when they're not causing geekgasms by being on screen together.

Previously easter eggs put out there to reference the source material were little winks for the fans. Now they're almost certainly laying the foundations for spin-offs of some form. Thanks to the success of the MCU (and particularly The Avengers), the model of releasing a new film in a series every two or three years is old-fashioned thinking; Marvel already are on two per annum, with D.C. hot on their tail and Star Wars set to have a new film in cinemas each year soon.