We are in the age of superhero movies and nothing proves this better than looking at the recent and nearly-recent box office numbers. If one were to throw a dart at a list of the highest-ranking movies of all time, odds are one would land on a superhero movie, be it a Marvel movie or a Batman movie.

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However, when it comes to superhero movies earning money at the box office in the United States, there have only been seven superhero films that ranked #1 for their respective release year.

7 Batman (1989) - $251,188,924 Domestic Gross

Batman holding Joker

Tim Burton's Batman not only revitalized the superhero movie and the popularity of Batman, but it was also the top earner in 1989 with a domestic gross of $251,188,924. While this may seem like chump change compared to the record-breaking box office numbers throughout the 2010s, it's an impressive amount of money.

Batman was released on June 23, 1989, and by the end of the year, it had beaten Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Lethal Weapon 2, Look Who's Talking, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. It was also the only film that year to gross more than $200,000,000.

6 Spider-Man (2002) - $403,706,375 Domestic Gross

Spider-Man 2002

Sam Raimi's take on Spider-Man was undoubtedly the top film at the box office in 2002 with a total domestic gross of $403,706,375. Spider-Man completely ruled the summer with its May 3rd release, domestically out-grossing The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

In terms of worldwide gross, however, Spider-Man earned $821,708,551 which actually put it in third place behind The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

5 Spider-Man 3 (2007) - $336,530,303 Domestic Gross

Spider-Man Symbiote in Spider-Man 3

Despite being the weakest link in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, Spider-Man 3 was still 2007's #1 movie with a domestic gross of $336,530,303 and a total gross of $894,983,373 worldwide. Spider-Man 2 could have been #1 in 2004 if it weren't for another sequel to another wildly successful film franchise: Shrek 2. 

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Spider-Man 3 was able to get its revenge, however, as it beat out Shrek the Third, as well as Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

4 The Dark Knight (2008) - $533,345,358 Domestic Gross

Batman in The Dark Knight

The following year, one of the biggest superhero movies of all time—Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knightwas not only the top earner domestically but also worldwide. With a domestic gross of $533,345,358 and a total worldwide gross of $1,003,045,358, Nolan's Batman sequel was by far the biggest movie event of the year.

It earned well over $200,000,000 more than the second-highest domestic earner from that year which was also the very first entry of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man. The Dark Knight also beat Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Hancock, and WALL-E.

3 The Avengers (2012) - $623,357,910 Domestic Gross

the avengers 2012 mcu

Four years after The Dark Knight and Iron Man dominated the box office in the United States, The Avengers really showed the Marvel Cinematic Universe's potential as a franchise as it earned $623,357,910 domestically and $1,518,812,988 worldwide. The Avengers out-earned The Dark Knight Rises, The Hunger Games, Skyfall, and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. 

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Along with being the biggest movie of the year, The Avengers broke an impressive number of records that included the record for opening weekend for any film, opening weekend for a superhero film, and the highest-grossing superhero film.

2 Black Panther (2018) - $700,059,566 Domestic Gross

Black Panther as he appears in the MCU.

After being introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2016's Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther showcased King T'Challa as he fought for his throne and it became the highest-earning domestic film of 2019 with $700,059,566, just barely beating Marvel's other big movie from that year, Avengers: Infinity War. 

Worldwide, Black Panther earned $1,346,913,161 making it the #1 solo Marvel movie in terms of the total box office. Black Panther is also one of the few billion-dollar Marvel movies to make the majority of its box office domestically. Black Panther also went on to beat Incredibles 2, Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom, and Aquaman.

1 Avengers: Endgame (2019) $858,373,000 Domestic Gross

Tony Stark using the Nano-Gauntlet in Avengers: Endgame

At the time of Avengers: Endgame's release, there was real excitement over the biggest entry into the MCU potentially beating the decade-long box office domination of James Cameron's Avatar, and, for a short while it did. With a domestic gross of  $858,373,000 and a total worldwide box office of $2,797,501,328, Endgame is quite literally one of the most successful films of all time.

In 2019, Endgame out-earned The Lion King, Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, Frozen II, and Toy Story 4, proving that the ultimate winner is Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

NEXT: 5 Ways Black Widow Was A Success (& 5 Ways It Was A Failure)