Comic books have long been popular for their entertaining stories of super heroes. This trend has transcended onto the big screen as more and more comic books are providing inspiration for silver screen hits. Around three films based on comic books are being released each year with Marvel having the best success with numerous box office hits. In fact, Marvel has some of the top grossing films of all time. Here are the top 5 characters that have brought the most cinematic success.
1) Spiderman – $1.37bn
With five Spiderman films being released since it first hit the silver screen in 2002, the character tops the charts when it comes to the highest earners. Original Spiderman Tobey Maguire took down the likes of the Green Goblin and Doc Ock before being succeeded in 2012 by Andrew Garfield, who battled The Lizard and Electro, with the next instalment set to be released in 2018.
2) Ironman – $1.1bn
The Ironman series has gone from strength to strength, with each instalment grossing more than its predecessor. Played by Robert Downey Jr., Tony Stark is portrayed as being a charismatic, humorous hero as he takes on all the enemies thrown at him. If Ironman 4 goes ahead, expect there to be a new leader in the Marvel grossing charts. In the world of online gaming, Ironman also seems to be leading the charts in superhero slots machines or pokies.
3) Captain America – $475m
Perhaps more loved for his role as part of the Avengers, Captain America has still impressed when it comes to Box Office figures. With The First Avenger and The Winter Solider already under his belt, Chris Evans’ will hope for much of the same when the third instalment is released in 2016. Before then however, you can catch the Captain in the latest Avengers flick next April.
4) Thor – $385m
Marvel took the recent decision to change Thor from a male to female in their comic series, so it will be interesting to see whether this is portrayed in the characters future films. Much like the other Marvel films, Thor entwines with other story lines, with his evil brother Loki appearing throughout.
5) Wolverine – $311m
After being depicted by Hugh Jackman so brilliantly for the last 14 years, many critics believe it is time for him to hang up his claws and pass on the crown. But his solo films have performed admirably over the years, amassing a huge grossing figure of $311m. But if you added his work with the X-Men, Wolverine would be challenging for the top spot.
