Ranker FilmList RulesSuperhero films with the biggest (top-grossing) opening weekends since 2000—animated films excluded.
When it comes to opening weekends at the box office, superhero movies are no strangers to big numbers and full-on sellouts. From The Avengers to The Dark Knight, there's a load of superhero films coming out each year, and one always seems to top the last. However, plenty of these films and their domestic opening-weekend sales stand the test of time and remain some of the top-grossing movies.
Whether it's a sequel, prequel, or the first of its kind, these action-packed superhero flicks constantly break records and completely "bust the block". In other words, films like Black Panther and Batman typically gross some seriously high ticket sales—regardless of how they end up performing later. But which films had the biggest opening weekends of them all? Check out the list below for the highest-grossing superhero films since the year 2000—during their opening weekend, of course.
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Actors: Robert Downey Jr, Josh Brolin, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Evans
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Opening weekend gross: $356 million
All-time worldwide gross (opening weekend): $1.222 billion
2
Actors: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Opening weekend gross: $258.2 million
All-time worldwide gross: $2.048 billion
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The Avengers
2012Actors: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson
Directed by: Joss Whedon
Opening weekend gross: $207.4 million
All-time worldwide gross: $1.5 billion
Marvel's The Avengers is a 2012 American superhero film directed by Joss Whedon, based on the... more4
Black Panther
2018Actors: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman
Directed by: Ryan Coogler
Opening weekend gross: $202 million
All-time worldwide gross: $1.3 billion
Black Panther is a 2018 American superhero film, based on the Marvel Comics character,... more5
Actors: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson
Directed by: Joss Whedon
Opening weekend gross: $191.2 million
All-time worldwide gross: $1.4 billion
Avengers: Age of Ultron is a 2015 American superhero film directed by Joss Whedon, based on... more6
Actors: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Opening weekend gross: $179.1 million
All-time worldwide gross: $1.1 billion
Captain America: Civil War is a 2016 American superhero film directed by Anthony and Joe... more7
Iron Man 3
2013Actors: Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert Downey Jr., Ben Kingsley, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce
Directed by: Shane Black
Opening weekend gross: $174.1 million
All-time worldwide gross: $1.2 billion
Iron Man 3 is a 2013 superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced... more8
Actors: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Opening weekend gross: $166 million
All-time worldwide gross: $873.6 million
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a 2016 American superhero film directed by Zack Snyder,... more9
Actors: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Opening weekend gross: $160.8 million
All-time worldwide gross: $1 billion
The Dark Knight Rises is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, based on the DC... more10
The Dark Knight
2008Actors: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Opening weekend gross: $158.4 million
All-time worldwide gross: $1 billion
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, based on the DC Comics... more11
Spider-Man 3
2007Actors: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Opening weekend gross: $151.1 million
All-time worldwide gross: $890.9 million
Spider-Man 3 is a 2007 American superhero film directed by Sam Raimi, based on the Marvel... more12
Actors: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper
Directed by: James Gunn
Opening weekend gross: $146.6 million
All-time worldwide gross: $863.8 million
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a 2017 American superhero film directed by James Gunn, based... more13
Suicide Squad
2016Actors: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis
Directed by: David Ayer
Opening weekend gross: $133.7 million
All-time worldwide gross: $746.8 million
Suicide Squad is a 2016 American superhero film directed by David Ayer, based on the DC Comics... more14
Deadpool
2016Actors: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano
Directed by: Tim MIller
Opening weekend gross: $132.4 million
All-time worldwide gross: $783.1 million
Deadpool is a 2016 American superhero film directed by Tim Miller, based on the Marvel Comics... more15
Iron Man 2
2010Actors: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Opening weekend gross: $128 million
All-time worldwide gross: $623.9 million
Iron Man 2 is a 2010 American superhero film directed by Jon Favreau, based on the Marvel... more16
Deadpool 2
2018Actors: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Julian Dennison, Zazie Beetz
Directed by: David Leitch
Opening weekend gross: $125.5 million
All-time worldwide gross: $655.3 million
Deadpool 2 is a 2018 American superhero film directed by David Leitch, based on the Marvel... more17
Thor: Ragnarok
2017Actors: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum
Directed by: Taika Waititi
Opening weekend gross: $122.7 million
All-time worldwide gross: $854 million
Thor: Ragnarok is a 2017 American superhero film directed by Taika Waititi. Four years after... more18
Actors: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Donald Glover, Jacob Batalon
Directed by: Jon Watts
Opening weekend gross: $117 million
All-time worldwide gross: $880.2 million
Spider-Man: Homecoming is a 2017 American superhero film directed by Jon Watts, based on the... more19
Man of Steel
2013Actors: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Opening weekend gross: $116.6 million
All-time worldwide gross: $668 million
Man of Steel is a 2013 superhero film directed by Zack Snyder, based on the DC Comics... more20
Spider-Man
2002Actors: Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Robertson
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Opening weekend gross: $114.8 million
All-time worldwide gross: $821.7 million
Spider-Man is a 2002 American superhero film directed by Sam Raimi, based on the Marvel Comics... more21
Wonder Woman
2017Actors: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis
Directed by: Patty Jenkins
Opening weekend gross: $103.3 million
All-time worldwide gross: $821.8 million
Wonder Woman is a 2017 American superhero film directed by Patty Jenkins, based on the DC... more22
Actors: Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman, Anna Paquin, Ian McKellen, Kelsey Grammer
Directed by: Brett Ratner
Opening weekend gross: $102.8 million
All-time worldwide gross: $459.4 million
X-Men: The Last Stand is a 2006 superhero film, based on the X-Men superhero team introduced... more23
Iron Man
2008Actors: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Opening weekend gross: $98.6 million
All-time worldwide gross: $585.2 million
Iron Man is a 2008 American superhero film directed by Jon Favreau, based on the Marvel Comics... more24
Actors: Scarlett Johansson, Cobie Smulders, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Redford, Elizabeth Olsen
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Opening weekend gross: $95 million
All-time worldwide gross: $714.3 million
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a 2014 American superhero film featuring the Marvel... more25
Actors: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper
Directed by: James Gunn
Opening weekend gross: $94.3 million
All-time worldwide gross: $773.3 million
Guardians of the Galaxy is a 2014 American superhero film directed by James Gunn, based on the... more
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