With Phase 4 Films, Marvel Cinematic Universe is Set to Rule Another Decade in Filmmaking

Marvel Cinematic Universe is handing out films like no other production house before it. Studio president Kevin Feige announced several new, highly-anticipated projects from Phase 4 at the ongoing San Diego Comic Con International gathering and by the looks of the line-up of films and TV shows planned by the makers, MCU is all set to rule another decade in popularity and cultural impact.

Starting in 2008 with Jon Favreau's Iron Man, each new film and character in the MCU has presented itself worthy of a spin-off or a sequel, and Marvel has not let its beloved characters down. With Phase 4's announcement on Saturday, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has big plans for the future, with more racial, cultural and gender diversity in the pipeline. The list of films announced include: Thor: Love and Thunder, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3, Black Widow, The Eternals, Doctor Strange 2, Black Panther 2, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Blade and others.

Read: Meet Indian VFX Artistes Who Have Worked on MCU's Avengers, Thor The Dark World

Here is Marvel's Phase 4 release schedule:

May 1, 2020: Black Widow

Fall, 2020: Untitled

Nov 6, 2020: The Eternals

Feb. 12, 2021: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Spring, 2021: WandaVision (Disney+ series)

May 7, 2021: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Spring, 2021: Loki (Disney+ series)

Summer, 2021: Untitled

Fall, 2021: The Falcon and Winter Soldier (Disney+ series)

Nov. 5, 2021: Thor 4: Love and Thunder

Read: MCU Phase 4 Unveiled! Marvel Confirms Black Widow Movie, Doctor Strange 2, Black Panther 2

Before the list of films and TV series release, starting 2020 and 2021, lets take a comprehensive look at the franchise that has grown with each outing.

Phase 1

Iron Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), The Avengers (2012).

The highest grosser in Phase 1 is The Avengers (2011) with reported figures of USD 1.518 billion, while The Incredible Hulk (2008) fetched the lowest with USD 263.43 million. Thor and Captain America films also set the tone for their respective sequels that would consolidate the franchise going forward.

Cumulative total of Phase 1 films: Aproximately USD 3,811,244,484 (Rs 26,244 crore)

Phase 2

Iron Man 3 (2013), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014), The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Ant-Man (2015).

The highest grosser in Phase 2 is The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) with reported figures of USD 1.40 billion worldwide, while the lowest grossing film amongst them is Ant-Man at USD 519.31 million. Phase 2 also brought forth a surprise entry in the form of Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana led Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014) that fetched more than Thor and Captain America sequels.

Cumulative total of Phase 2 films: Aproximately USD 5,271,691,2019 (Rs 36,301 crores)

Phase 3

Captain America: Civil War (2016), Doctor Strange (2016), Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Ant-Man And The Wasp (2018), Captain Marvel (2019), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019).

Phase 3 was the real number spinner for Marvel Studios that had already defeated every other film franchise in terms of popularity and fan culture. While Phase 3 saw the rise of Black Panther, Spider-Man and Captain Marvel, its position was further consolidated by Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Endgame has now become the highest grossing film in history, surpassing James Cameron's Avatar.

Cumulative total of Phase 3 films: Aproximately USD 13,285,187,129 and counting (Rs 91,482 crores and counting)

Read: Marvel's Avengers Endgame Finally Dethrones Avatar As Highest-grossing Film in History

Judging by these mammoth figures, Disney-owned Marvel Studios has indeed become a crowd pleaser that is too dear for Hollywood now, numbers-wise. Add merchandising to it and Marvel media franchise is indeed the place to work for in the coming years. Do you agree with us?

(All box office figures from collider.com)

Follow @News18Movies for more