Despite being labelled as a risky proposition, Guardians of the Galaxy has contineud Marvel Studios’ fine run of form at the box office, pulling in almost $620 million since its release at the start of August. And with that return, it has also helped Marvel to reach a landmark by pushing the cumulative worldwide gross of the Marvel Cinematic Universe beyond $7 billion.
By close of play on Wednesday, the ten films of the MCU have earned $7.004 billion combined, second only to Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter franchise, which currently sits on $7.709 billion from eight films. Marvel will of course shatter that total next year with the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron in May, while Ant-Man will further extend its lead in July. WB does have a planned Harry Potter spin-off trilogy based around Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them to try and regain the top spot, but with Doctor Strange, Captain America 3, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and a further five as-yet-unannounced Marvel movies – including The Avengers 3 – all on the horizon, it looks like the MCU is going to find itself the runaway leader over the next few years.
Originally published September 18, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
