#3 - $1.518 billion The highest grossing superhero movie of all-time, The Avengers exceeded everyone's expectations back in 2012. After introducing Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and the Hulk in their own solo movies, the pressure was on Joss Whedon to prove that Marvel's approach to a shared Cinematic Universe could actually work. Work it did, and The Avengers broke record after record when it debuted, exceeding every single analyst's initial expectations. Seeing The Avengers assemble for the first time on the big screen was a historic moment for comic book fans, and even regular moviegoers could understand the significance of this movie. The success of The Avengers also had a huge impact on the solo movies that followed, leading to ever greater box office success. The Avengers established Marvel Studios as a true force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. The only downside to the movie's success is the fact that others studios have since started to try and imitate their shared universe approach with mixed levels of success. It's easy to live with that in exchange for a movie as great as The Avengers though. Full of epic action and great character development, the superhero ensemble set the tone for every Marvel movie which would follow. It's Whedon's masterpiece. That humour carrying over into Thor and Iron Man didn't sit well with some, but it's a formula that works for the studio.
