ThinkMoney have sat down to watch each of the 21 films leading up to ‘Avengers: Endgame’ in order to calculate each character’s worldwide box office per minute on screen. Viewing 44 hours and 6 minutes of screen time across the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe to date, they took note of every time each of the 234 characters who appear throughout the franchise. This allowed them to calculate how much of the $18,540,374,625 earned by the MCU at the worldwide box office each character can take credit for, based on their percentage of time on screen for each individual film
In terms of box office pulling power, it should be no surprise to see everyone’s favourite genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist coming in at the top of the list. From kicking off the Marvel Cinematic Universe back in 2008, up to 2018’s Infinity War, Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark/Iron Man has contributed a staggering $2,432,525,609 to Marvel Studio’s worldwide box office based on his time on screen.
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However, due to his numerous appearances across all three ‘Iron Man’ films, every Avengers film, Captain America: Civil War (2016) and appearing briefly in The Incredible Hulk (2008) and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), his 5 hours, 22 minutes and 30 seconds of screen time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe means that another Avenger has taken the mantle of ‘Most Valuable Hero’.
For every minute that Paul Bettany’s Vision is on the screen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the studio has earned $10,890,274, making him the most valuable hero of the franchise in terms of worldwide box office per minute on screen. Josh Brolin’s Thanos demands more than your silence, earning Marvel Studios a titanic $13,659,278 for every minute he has been chasing the Infinity Stones, making him the most valuable villain in the franchise to date.
The box office pulling power of Thanos may soften the blow to Kevin Feige and everyone else at Marvel Studios, after watching almost $7 billion worth of characters be snapped away during the shocking ending of ‘Avengers: Infinity War”.
Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Endgame is now showing in UK cinemas.
