The Best Superhero Movie Of All Time, According To Rotten Tomatoes
Superhero movies have exploded over the last two decades as the genre expanded and evolved throughout the 2000s with hits like Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man 2," Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight," and "Iron Man," which served as the debut of the billion-dollar Marvel Cinematic Universe. And yet, in an updated ranking of their best 300 releases of all time, Rotten Tomatoes hasn't deemed any of these milestone entries as the genre's best. Instead, the outlet has awarded 2018's "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" as the best superhero movie of all time.
On the overall list, "Into the Spider-Verse" holds the 21st spot. Interestingly, it's the sixth-highest-ranked animated film on the list, coming in behind the likes of Pixar's "Toy Story 2" and "Up," as well as Studio Ghibli's "Spirited Away." When the first "Spider-Verse" flick was released, it received acclaim from both fans of the genre as well as critics, winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a score of 97%. On Looper's best superhero movies list, "Into the Spider-Verse" took the coveted top spot, proving just how beloved the animated Sony film is.
The overall Rotten Tomatoes list is filled with heavy hitters from the superhero genre, with "The Dark Knight" in the 51st spot, "Spider-Man: No Way Home" as number 128, and "Avengers: Endgame" at 142. The animated film's sequel, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" (which blew everyone away when it was released), is the 81st film on the list, making it the third-highest-ranked superhero film.
When does the next Spider-Verse movie come out?
Considered a benchmark superhero movie for its effective use of the multiverse narrative and breathtaking animation, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" grossed over $375 million when it debuted in the winter of 2018. The film served as a solid first entry in what has become one of Sony's biggest crown jewels, and, after years of anticipation, the studio debuted "Across the Spider-Verse" in 2023. The sequel brought in over $690 million worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing films of that summer. Filled with tons of cameos that even longtime fans might have missed, the sequel is nothing short of a massive hit. It made over $325 million in profit for Sony, proving once again that "Spider-Man" can succeed in the medium of animation.
Unfortunately, the sequel didn't win an Oscar like the original, losing out to Studio Ghibli's "The Boy and the Heron." Now, all eyes are on "Beyond the Spider-Verse," which was initially supposed to hit theaters on March 29, 2024. As of this writing, the threequel doesn't have a release date and has been removed entirely from Sony's slate. The picture was delayed thanks in part to the Hollywood strikes in 2023, which prohibited the film's actors from performing their lines and writers from working on the script. Beyond that, the working conditions on "Across the Spider-Verse" were notably criticized by animators, which might have compelled the studio and filmmakers to take a step back and focus on worker priorities.
Unfortunately, it's unclear when "Beyond the Spider-Verse" will debut, but if it holds up to the first two films, it could emerge as another entry on the Rotten Tomatoes list.