The Marvel Cinematic Universe has come a long way since 2008's Iron Man, which was considered a risky release at the time after a series of flops based on Marvel characters.
The movie's unpredicted success has led to a franchise with a total budget of $US4 billion¹ ($5.6 billion), and takings of a staggering $US18.5 billion ($25.9 billion) worldwide.
The lion's share of that profit has come from the Avengers series but those were also the most expensive movies to make.
When you look at box office takings relative to budget, last year's Black Panther almost clawed its way into the top spot.
If you only counted US domestic takings, it is still the most successful movie Marvel Studios have ever made.
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[1] $US values in the story and chart are adjusted for inflation to July 2018
