Marvel films destroy other contenders

“Avengers: Infinity War” has grossed more than $1.2 billion worldwide in its second week of release. That’s absolutely staggering, and it’s almost assured to beat the biggest-grossing movie of all time, “Avatar,” which pulled in about $2.8 billion.

But Marvelworld is more than just one film. Released just two months ago, “Black Panther” has grossed more than $1.3 billion worldwide and still counting. All told, the Marvel Cinematic Universe — MCU for cool people — has released 20 theatrical films and tallied more than $15 billion worldwide in ticket sales.

And those dollars don’t include TV series such as “Jessica Jones,” “Daredevil,” “Luke Cage” or “Agents of S.H.I.E.LD.” Nor do they include the $5 billion made through 10 “X-Men” films or the $783 million from “Deadpool,” which has a sequel coming out next week.

In a Vanity Fair interview in November, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said there are 20 movies still on the schedule and those will focus on newer characters such as Doctor Strange, AntMan, Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy and the remaining 7,000 or so characters from Marvel Comics.

No other film series in history even comes close to Marvel’s theatrical ATM machine. The next in line is “Star Wars,” but it’s only made about $9 billion. “Harry Potter,” “James Bond,” “The Lord of the Rings” and “Fast and Furious” barely make a dent in the Marvel wallet.

So here’s the list of the top film series of all time. Use the knowledge gained to wow friends and strangers.

1. Marvel Cinematic Universe, 20 films, $15 billion (and counting). “Ant-Man and the Wasp” comes out July 6; 20 more films planned.

2. “Stars Wars,” $9 billion, eight films. “Solo: A Star Wars Story” opens tomorrow.

3. “Harry Potter,” 10 films, includes “Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them,” $8.5 billion. Two more “Fan- tastic Beasts” scheduled for release in the next two years.

4. “James Bond,” $7 billion, 24 films. One more film with Daniel Craig as 007, but a new Bond will be chosen and the series goes on.

5. “The Lord of the Rings,” $5.8 billion, six films.

6. “Fast and Furious,” $5.1 billion, eight films. Two more planned.

7. “X-Men.” $5 billion. 10 films. Last one, “Logan” grossed $619 million.

8. “Spider-Man.” $4.8 billion. Six films. Sequel planned to “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”

9. “Batman.” $4.57 billion. Eight films, includes “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.”

10. “Pirates of the Caribbean.” $4.5 billion. Five films.

Shawn Ryan