Marvel Studios at the Box Office

Ever since the summer of 2002, the characters of Marvel Comics have been a staple in the business of summer blockbusting.  That summer saw the long-awaited and enormously successful release of SPIDER-MAN, adapted from Marvel's most popular character.  It wasn't the first Marvel adaptation to grace the big screen; the first major film release based on a Marvel character was the George Lucas-produced mega-flop HOWARD THE DUCK in 1986 (infamous for kinky duck sexuality), but in 1998, the hard-R action/horror flick BLADE was successful enough to garner a 2002 sequel, and in 2000, stylish director Bryan Singer's adaptation, X-MEN, became a major hit.  It was SPIDER-MAN though when Hollywood first staked real money on a Marvel character and then shattered records across the board, encouraging the industry to seriously invest in Marvel properties.  Of the ten highest-grossing films in each of the past ten years, eight have included Marvel adaptations.  In honor of Marvel Studios' seventh independently produced feature film, IRON MAN 3, coming out in just two weeks, on May 3, here's an overview of the top ten highest-grossing Marvel Comics film adaptations to date:

1.  MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS (2012)  Total Gross: $1,511,757,910  Production Budget: $220
million
How Good Is It?:  10/10

THE AVENGERS (2012)  It is too damn awesome.

Last year's mega-blockbuster, released as MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS in the U.S. and as AVENGERS ASSEMBLE in the U.K. in order to differentiate itself from infamous 1998 film, THE AVENGERS, became the third highest-grossing film of all time.  It was the sixth film produced independently by Marvel Studios, in what they're calling the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the five previous films deliberately crafted to lead into this revolutionary crossover of franchises.  The result, as directed and co-written by wide appeal fanboy-favorite Joss Whedon, is massively and consistently entertaining, and although the jury is still divided over whether it is actually the best superhero movie of all time, it's quite probably the most entertaining.  The only real competition is THE DARK KNIGHT (2008), the official best-reviewed comic book adaptation ever, and that's much meatier, but I'd argue that THE AVENGERS is tastier.
2.  SPIDER-MAN 3 (2007)  Total Gross: $890,871,626  Production Budget: $258 million
How Good Is It?: 5/10
As is a fairly common occurrence for third parts of major film franchises, SPIDER-MAN 3 is where the series broke down, in quality at least, as it still grossed more than any other film in the franchise so far.  In what seems to be a case of detrimental studio influence, the resulting film is cluttered and scattershot, with three villains, including fan-favorite Venom being criminally underused and obviously manufactured in.  It's still suitably entertaining, but ultimately unsatisfactory and heartbreakingly disappointing when alongside its predecessors.
3.  SPIDER-MAN (2002)  Total Gross: $821,708,551  Production Budget: $139 million
How Good Is It?:  7/10
As identified in the introductory passage, SPIDER-MAN is the one that started it all, and all after almost a quarter of a century in production hell, falling apart in the hands of one filmmaker after another, it finally came to fruition at the hands of camp horror director Sam Raimi.  Today, SPIDER-MAN has become oddly dated, and not so much by its special effects as most action/fantasy films are prone to, but instead for being a midpoint between the campy comic films that BATMAN (1989) kicked into gear and the more recent, self-respecting comic book films that would come after.  It makes for pretty good entertainment, and it obviously had a ton of influence, but it occasionally veers into awkward camp.

4.  SPIDER-MAN 2 (2004)  Total Gross: $783,766,341  Production Budget: $200 million
How Good Is It?: 10/10
While most post-SPIDER-MAN comic adaptations are somewhat uncomfortable about their source material, and usually for the best, SPIDER-MAN 2 is the rare great film that earnestly embraces its comic book background, and its young male audience, and succeeds tremendously.  Even while remaining palatable to a child audience, it's still great entertainment for adults as well, men and women.  It isn't the best comic book film, but it is the definitive comic book film.

5.  IRON MAN 2 (2010)  Total Gross: $623,933,33  Production Budget: $200 million
How Good Is It?: 6/10
Iron Man's second outing lacks the serendipitous brilliance of the first and descends into disappointing bombast towards the end, but Robert Downey, Jr.'s performance is still a highlight and Samuel L. Jackson's usual badass schtick, here applied as S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury, is too much fun.
6.  THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2012)  Total Gross: $752,216,557  Production Budget: $230 million
How Good Is It?: 7/10
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN is the kind of movie that really infuriates me, because it has so much brilliance, but it's crippled by a smattering of stupid decisions.  First off, the good stuff; Emma Stone (as Gwen Stacy) is excellent as always, because she's freaking Emma Stone; Andrew Garfield as the lead is a little questionable as a social outcast, but he has a more magnetic screen presence than Tobey Maguire did; the action is entertaining and the romantic scenes between Stone and Garfield, especially the first kissing scene, are excellent.  Unfortunately, what eventually strangles the film's potential greatness is a case of severe over-editing to postpone certain revelations for a sequel, but leaves gaping plot holes and inconsistencies in pacing; on top of that, retelling the origin story handicaps the plot somewhat and the Lizard is too silly a villain for so serious a movie.  Worth a watch though.

IRON MAN (2008)  This is just the picture everyone else uses.

7.  IRON MAN (2008)  Total Gross: $585,174,222  Production Budget: $140 million
How Good Is It?: 10/10
This was Marvel Studios' first independent production, and even as it dangerously began production without a finished script, it was made at a surprisingly conservative budget (by today's standards anyway) and the final product is one of the most entertaining Marvel adaptations to date.  The trump card is Robert Downey, Jr., in his big career reestablishing role as an egotistical, weapons-manufacturing playboy who becomes a superhero, and the film also benefits greatly from its improvisational nature resulting from filming without a finished script.
8.  X-MEN: THE LAST STAND (2007)  Total Gross: $459,359,555  Production Budget: $210 million
How Good Is It?: 3/10
Although X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE gave it a run for its money in 2009, this third chapter of Twentieth Century Fox's X-Men franchise is arguably the worst X-Men movie to date, after Bryan Singer, who directed the first two, gave up the reigns to Brett Ratner, so that he could depart to direct SUPERMAN RETURNS (2006).  Ratner has not yet been able to progress beyond generic action directing, and sometimes he misses hard, and this film, perhaps even more thanks to Simon Kinberg and Zak Penn's script, gets almost everything wrong.  It kills off major characters stupidly and indiscriminately, diverts attention away from the most interesting characters and has a generally ugly visual aesthetic, as well as downright awful dialogue.
9.  THOR (2011)  Total Gross: $449,326,618  Production Budget: $150 million
How Good Is It?: 7/10
THOR is the fourth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and seemingly the most difficult to adapt for a wide audience, although, clearly the Hulk has been giving Hollywood trouble for a while before THE AVENGERS got it right, albeit not as a lead role.  But Thor is an alien/god who travels between worlds on a "rainbow bridge", talks like a viking, wears a cape (not as acceptable in a post-modern environment) and his trademark power is a big ol' hammer which he hits people with, but can also use it to fly or summon lightning.  Frankly, it's a tough sell, so for better or worse, THOR is more mechanical than the other Marvel Studios endeavors to date, mostly going through the motions, but benefits from a charming lead performance by Chris Hemsworth and an excellent and sympathetic antagonist from Tom Hiddleston.  The musical score by Patrick Doyle is effectively rousing and there's some nice King Arthur influences in there, too.
10.  X2: X-MEN UNITED (2003)  Total Gross: $407,711,549  Production Budget: $110 million

X2 (2003)  Women, am I right?

How Good Is It?: 8/10
The second X-Men movie, I think, is just barely behind 2011's X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, for the rank of best X-Men movie to date.  X2 picks up where X-MEN left off in 2000, but you don't even need to see the first film, and this one is far better anyway.  The film interestingly looks at mutants as an unofficial allegory for homosexuals, including a boy's mother who,after learning he's a mutant, asks him if he's tried "not being a mutant," Wolverine gets the best action scenes he's had in any movie so far and the opening "Nightcrawler" scene in the White House is awesome.