The ultimate Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie rankings: Box Office, Ratings & ROI.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has seen massive box office success over the years, with Avengers: Endgame (2019) reigning as the highest-grossing film, earning an astonishing $2.799 billion worldwide. It is closely followed by Avengers: Infinity War (2018), which pulled in $2.052 billion, and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), which earned $1.952 billion. These films captivated audiences and demonstrated the franchise’s ability to deliver major financial wins.
On the other end of the spectrum, The Marvels (2023) struggled with just $206 million in worldwide earnings, making it the lowest-grossing MCU film to date. The Incredible Hulk (2008) and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) also landed on the lower end, with $264 million and $370 million, respectively.
When evaluating return on investment (ROI), which factors in a film’s budget relative to its box office earnings, Spider-Man: No Way Home leads the rankings with an impressive 876.37% ROI. The film’s relatively modest $200 million budget resulted in a nearly $2 billion global haul, making it a standout financial success. Avengers: Endgame follows with a 686.36% ROI, while Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) claims third place at 607.94%. Meanwhile, The Marvels (2023) faced the greatest financial loss, recording an estimated ROI of -6.3%, as its $220 million budget failed to break even. The Incredible Hulk (2008) and Black Widow (2021) also ranked among the lowest, with 76.51% and 89.88% ROI, respectively.
Beyond financial performance, audience ratings reveal which MCU films resonated most with viewers.
On IMDb, Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War share the top spot with an 8.4 rating, while Spider-Man: No Way Home follows closely with 8.2. Conversely, The Marvels (2023) holds the lowest IMDb rating at 5.5, followed by Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) at 6.0 and Captain America: Brave New World (2025) at 6.1.
Over on Letterboxd Avengers: Infinity War takes the highest rating with 3.98, followed by Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) at 3.96, while Avengers: Endgame rounds out the top three with 3.9. At the bottom of the Letterboxd rankings, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has the lowest score of 2.22, with Thor: The Dark World (2013) at 2.24 and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) at 2.42.
Critics have also played a key role in defining the best and worst of the MCU. On Rotten Tomatoes, Black Panther (2018) leads the pack with a 96% critic score, with Avengers: Endgame and Iron Man (2008) tied at 94%. The lowest-rated films include Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (46%), Eternals (2021) (47%), and Captain America: Brave New World (49%).
Metacritic paints a similar picture.
Black Panther scoring the highest at 88, followed by Iron Man (79) and Avengers: Endgame (78). Meanwhile, Captain America: Brave New World ranks the lowest with a score of 42, while Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels sit at 48 and 50, respectively.
Overall, these rankings highlight the vast spectrum of success within the MCU. While films like Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: No Way Home continue to dominate both financially and critically, others like The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania have struggled to make an impact. As the MCU continues to evolve, these rankings provide insight into which formulas resonate most with audiences and critics alike.
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Sean Tajipour
Sean Tajipour is the Founder and Editor of Nerdtropolis and the host of the Moviegoers Society and Reel Insights Podcast. He is also a member of the Critics Choice Association. You can follow on Twitter and Instagram @Seantaj.
