10 Lowest-Grossing MCU Movies At The Box Office (So Far)

Even diehard fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will probably be surprised to learn just how successful the franchise is. Since 2008 we've gotten dozens of MCU movies, and all together they've made an absolute killing at the box office. The MCU has earned more than $32 billion since it began its run, and the franchise machine doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

Of course, with so much output over the years, the MCU was all but guaranteed to release a few films that, while perhaps not outright flops, either underperformed or earned less when compared to some of the franchise's biggest successes. Marvel's Phase 5 movies, on average, performed worse than some of its previous films, while some key earlier films in the canon were comparatively milder hits. On the other hand, more recent movies like "Deadpool & Wolverine" still blew everyone away at the box office, proving that there's still plenty of gas left in the MCU tank.

The MCU's lowest earners have still managed to earn hundreds of millions of dollars, and some were actually moderate financial successes in their own right. With that said, movies like "Avengers: Endgame" really ruined the curve for everything else, and steadily increasing budgets have made it harder for MCU films to become profitable. Marvel's lowest-grossing movies to date could be record-setting success in other franchises, but everything's relative.

"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" was meant to be an important piece of the next overarching MCU storyline. In the movie, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and the rest of his family get pulled into the Quantum Realm where Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) was trapped for decades. Scott discovers an entire society in the Quantum Realm, but he also encounters a villain called Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). The ending of "Quantumania" sets up Kang as the next Thanos-level menace, but that plan got derailed when Marvel fired Majors in late 2023.

Even before Majors exited the MCU, the Kang storyline was in trouble because of how poorly "Quantumania" performed at the box office. The movie earned $214 million domestically, but almost half of that money came from the film's opening weekend. Globally, the movie made over $476 million – a number that other franchises might be happy with, but a considerable step down from the previous two "Ant-Man" entries and a significant drop for Marvel in the post-"Endgame" landscape. Word of mouth seemingly hurt "Quantumania," which scored a paltry 46% on Rotten Tomatoes." Critics took issue with the movie's by-the-numbers plot and its lackluster digital effects. Because Kang has been sidelined for Victor Von Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) as the next big Marvel villain, there's hardly a reason for fans to ever revisit "Quantumania."

Some of the oldest movies in the MCU franchise are also some of its relatively lowest-performing at the box office — but context is important. We've all got nostalgia goggles on when we look back at the Phase One Marvel movies, but at the time, moviegoers were still learning about Marvel's interconnected film universe. In the world of Marvel comics, Thor has always played an important role, but he's never quite reached the popularity of some other characters like Spider-Man. That might help explain why the first "Thor" movie, which helped to construct the MCU today, has one of the smaller box office takes in the entire franchise.

2011's "Thor" earned $180 million domestically and $449 million worldwide, but unlike "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," this came well before the character joined the Avengers and MCU movies started earning a billion dollars or more on a regular basis. "Thor" introduced moviegoers to one of the most storied characters from the comics, and its box office performance shows us that the MCU, massive as it is now, still had to go through a growth period.

When people imagine the MCU's lowest box office earners, they might jump right to the Phase 4 and Phase 5 movies that underperformed financially. "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," despite its many positive qualities and earning absolutely spectacular critical (92%) and audience (98%) reviews, grossed $432 million at the box office when it came out in September 2021. In another franchise, that amount of money might make for an unqualified success; for the MCU, it arguably began what later became a trend of underwhelming box office returns for the franchise.

But again, one has to look at the broader context: In 2021, theaters were still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the MCU itself was in a strange place after "Avengers: Endgame" wrapped up many of the franchise's overarching storylines. At the same time, Marvel was launching a slew of shows on Disney+, and people were starting to throw around terms like "superhero fatigue." Despite being one of the best movies in the MCU, "Shang-Chi" debuted at a rough time for the box office – yet still managed to pull in nearly half a billion dollars. Not bad for a movie starring an obscure character who was largely unknown to general audiences and many Marvel fans themselves.

"Captain America: Brave New World" continued what, by the time of its early 2025 release, had become a largely downward box office trend of MCU films that debuted after "Avengers: Endgame." The 2025 movie made a little over $413 million at the global box office, making it the lowest-performing "Captain America" outing since 2011's "The First Avenger." That return is especially disappointing because, thanks to lengthy reshoots, the already high budget for "Brave New World" reportedly ballooned to well over $350 million, almost certainly losing tens if not hundreds of millions for Marvel and Disney.

Aside from just being a financial disappointment, the movie also failed to excite MCU fans. Early reactions to "Brave New World" were all lukewarm at best. Many fans felt that the disparate plot threads in the movie would have worked better as a TV show. Others walked away confused about why the trailers for the movie showed Red-Hulk (Harrison Ford) in action when the movie itself treats Red-Hulk's arrival as a climactic surprise. In the end, "Brave New World" didn't create a solid foundation for Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) to lead the MCU as the new Captain America, resulting in another post-"Endgame" MCU misfire.

"Eternals" is arguably one of the most ambitious films in the entire MCU. The Eternals, who apparently have been hiding in the background of the MCU from the very beginning, are a group of 10 godlike beings created by Celestials and sent to Earth to watch over the evolution of humanity. Marvel got Oscar winner Chloe Zhao to direct the film, and on top of that, "Eternals" also has a star-studded cast that includes Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Kumail Nanjiani, and many more.

That cast, impressive as it may be, is actually part of the movie's big problem. Even with a lengthy 156-minute runtime, "Eternals" struggles to give all 10 of its main characters satisfying story arcs. The movie often feels rushed and messy, and the backflips it has to do to fit into the MCU's larger continuity doesn't do it any favors. That's a big reason why "Eternals" has just a 47% approval rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

The film's lackluster critical reception was perhaps reflected in its box office performance. Domestically, the movie made $164 million, and with the global box office included, its total earnings barely managed to break the $400 million mark. Unfortunately, the movie cost hundreds of millions to make, and it went over budget, all of which suggests that introducing audiences to an entirely new and unfamiliar team of superheroes was too heavy a lift, even for Marvel.

What happens when you take a group of relatively minor characters and package them into a new super team? "Thunderbolts*" is a surprisingly good Marvel movie, but the 2025 film didn't experience the box office success an assembly of heroes might expect. Globally, "Thunderbolts*" made $380 million, which isn't a small sum, but was likely less than Disney wanted. The movie came after a string of box office disappointments, so Marvel had cut down on the film's budget during production. That still wasn't enough to save "Thunderbolts*" financially. Reportedly, the film cost about $180 million to make, with another $100 million going toward marketing. With that budget in mind, "Thunderbolts*" is a bitter pill for Marvel to swallow.

The box office numbers for "Thunderbolts*" are especially disappointing because the movie itself is pretty great. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave it an 88%, and audiences went even further, giving it a 93%. Looking at the reviews, it's easy to argue that "Thunderbolts*" is one of the best MCU movies since "Avengers: Endgame." The movie might have followed relatively minor characters from less-successful MCU shows and movies, but its lack of financial success is still a troubling sign for the MCU. It may even be an indication that superhero fatigue might be a real barrier for future movies, even high-quality ones, to overcome.

The "Black Widow" movie was a long time coming, but when it finally arrived, a few different factors working against it made gauging its box office success difficult. "Black Widow" came out in 2021, after "Avengers: Endgame," so the previous momentum of the Infinity Saga didn't help promote the film. "Black Widow" also had to be somewhat awkwardly positioned as a prequel, since the titular character (played by Scarlett Johansson) died during the events of "Endgame."

On top of those in-universe factors, "Black Widow" also faced some real-world issues. The movie debuted as the COVID-19 pandemic was still raging, so its box office numbers were virtually guaranteed to be underwhelming. In addition, the film was made available as a Premier Access purchase on Disney+ on the same day it opened theatrically, further keeping audiences out of theaters. "Black Widow" ultimately made $183 million domestically and $379 million total at the global box office — perhaps small numbers by MCU standards, but less disappointing given what the film was up against.

"Black Widow" faced one more financial problem after its release. Johansson ended up suing Disney for the way the company handled the film's theatrical versus streaming release. Disney eventually settled with the actress under undisclosed terms, but the lawsuit almost certainly added significantly to the overall cost of the project.

Captain America (Chris Evans) became the heart of the Avengers, and the emotional payoff of his overarching MCU story was the closing note for "Avengers: Endgame." When the MCU was first getting off the ground, however, people weren't as sold on Cap as they eventually would be. In 2011, "The First Avenger," a rare Marvel period piece, kicked off Captain America's story — but it's actually one of the lowest grossing movies in MCU history.

The film's global box office earnings came to $370 million, with roughly $176 million of that total coming from theaters in the United States. Marvel spent around $216 million making the movie, but its box office performance obviously didn't dissuade the company from its continuing investment in the character.

"The First Avenger" found itself in a similar position as the original "Thor" film. It introduced moviegoers to a brand new superhero, and it helped build the foundation of the MCU. There wasn't yet an ongoing story pulling people into theaters, and the World War II backdrop might have confused some moviegoers who'd been hooked by the contemporary setting of "Iron Man." Now that the MCU is a global mega-success, the box office numbers for "The First Avenger" show a franchise carefully laying the groundwork for its future success — and one of its most compelling characters.

2008's "The Incredible Hulk" starred Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, and though it was tangentially connected to 2003's non-MCU "Hulk," it primarily served as a new starting point for the character. The fresh start meant audiences had no pre-existing buy-in for the movie, and because the film debuted the same year as "Iron Man," there wasn't an overarching MCU structure supporting it either. It's also worth noting that "The Incredible Hulk" didn't especially impress the people who saw it. It got mixed reviews from critics and general moviegoers alike, scoring a 68% and 69% respectively on Rotten Tomatoes.

By the end of its theatrical run, "The Incredible Hulk" had earned $264 million at the global box office – the second-lowest box office return for an MCU movie. The project had a production budget hovering around $140 million, so while it wasn't profitable for Marvel, it wasn't a massive moneyloser either. And unlike Iron Man, who got a sequel before 2012's "The Avengers," fans wouldn't see the Hulk again until Mark Ruffalo replaced Norton in the big team-up movie. Certain rights issues (now resolved) have long prevented the Hulk from getting another standalone outing, but it's unclear whether his higher profile in the MCU since Ruffalo took over the role would make one worth the risk.

After "Avengers: Endgame," Marvel made a big push to promote new heroes not just on the big screen but also on Disney+ TV shows. When "The Marvels" debuted in November 2023, the movie sent a clear signal that Marvel's dual approach wasn't really working. "The Marvels" is kind of a sequel to 2019's "Captain Marvel," but it's also tied into the events of the "WandaVision" and "Ms. Marvel" series on Disney+. The movie follows Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), and a grown-up Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) as they figure out their interconnected powers and combat a new extraterrestrial threat.

Despite featuring three different heroes, "The Marvels" failed to make an impact at the box office. It became the lowest-grossing MCU movie of all time, after earning just $206 million globally. The movie's domestic performance was particularly poor, and it made just $84.5 million in the United States. There's been plenty already written about why "The Marvels" bombed at the box office, but its connection to the rest of the MCU played a big role. To be truly caught up on all the lore heading into "The Marvels," fans needed to watch all the previous MCU movies and two seasons of television. That proved to be a little too much homework, even for comic book fans accustomed to the interconnected universe that Marvel had built.