The Top 50 Highest-Grossing Superhero Movies of All Time Ranked by Their Rotten Tomatoes Score

Welcome to our very first Geek Viz, part of what will become a series of visualizations, posters, charts, and other geeky visuals that are based on our favorite movies, TV shows, video games, and more.

Our PixlParade research team collected and analyzed the 50 top superhero films based on their worldwide box office gross. We then ranked those 50 movies by their Rotten Tomatoes rating to determine the best superhero movies of all time.

About the Rotten Tomatoes Rating System

The Rotten Tomatoes rating system – also known as the Tomatometer – collects the opinions of professional critics and provides a percent score based on how many of those critic reviews are positive. A film with a 60% Rotten Tomatoes rating is considered “fresh” while a score below that is considered “rotten.” Check out their official website for more information about the Rotten Tomatoes rating system.

Highest Rated Superhero Movies

Four of the Top 5 highest-rated superhero movies of all time come from Marvel. Black Panther is the highest-rated superhero movie of all time with a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Black Panther earned $1,334,157,082 worldwide, making it one of 14 films on the list that grossed over $1 billion. It was the first superhero film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The film is notable for being written and directed by, and for predominantly starring black and African-American talent. For this reason, its cultural impact has been thoroughly studied.

Black Panther won Academy Awards for Best Costume Design, Best Production Design and Best Original Score, alongside additional nominations. The soundtrack, curated by Kendrick Lamar, is considered by many to be one of the greatest film soundtracks of all time and includes the song “King’s Dead” by Jay Rock which won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance. The song “All the Stars” by Kendrick Lamar himself was also nominated for Song of the Year at the same award ceremony.

Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse is the second-highest-rated superhero movie of all time and is also the highest-rated animated superhero movie of all time with a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 95%. The animation style in the film, and its predecessor, was the first of its kind, stunning audiences. The soundtrack was produced entirely by Metro Boomin and topped Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The cliffhanger ending of the film left fans on the edge of their seats, though as of November 2024, no official release date has been announced for the follow-up: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

Avengers: Endgame is tied with two other films as the third-highest-rated superhero movie of all time having a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 94%. It is the highest-grossing superhero film ever, earning $2,748,242,781 at the box office, and the second-highest-grossing film of all time, in any genre, second only to Avatar. It is one of only two superhero films to gross over $2 billion, the other being its predecessor, Avengers: Infinity War. The “Avengers assemble” scene is considered significant for its inclusion of every hero introduced to the Marvel universe at that point.

The Dark Knight is the highest-rated DC superhero movie of all time with a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It earned $1,007,695,772 worldwide. Considering it was released in 2008, this makes it the first superhero movie to gross over $1 billion. It is also one of the most decorated superhero films of all time, winning a Grammy for Best Original Score and an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing, plus half-dozen nominations. Heath Ledger took a unique approach to his role as The Joker which earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, though unfortunately he had passed away before the film’s theatrical release.

The Top 5 highest-rated superhero movies of all time is rounded off by Iron Man, tied with Avengers: Endgame and The Dark Knight Rotten Tomatoes rating of 94%. This was the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and marked a major comeback for its lead actor, Robert Downey Jr., after years of substance abuse had affected his status in Hollywood. The film grossed $584,877,827.

Worst Movie Rating on Rotten Tomatoes for a Superhero Film

Of the 50 highest-grossing superhero movies of all time, the one with the worst rating is Suicide Squad, which has a 26% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Major points of criticism included Jared Leto’s portrayal of The Joker as well as the formulaic and predictable plot. Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Harley Quinn was well-received, but many criticized the sexual objectification of the character. Still, the film grossed $745,744,980 and the soundtrack was particularly popular, being certified platinum in the United States. It included the songs “Heathens” by Twenty One Pilots and “Sucker for Pain” by Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa and Imagine Dragons.

What is the Top Superhero Film Not Tied to Marvel or DC?

Only one of the 50 highest-grossing superhero movies features neither Marvel nor DC characters. That film is Hancock, starring Will Smith. The film has a 42% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and it grossed $624,234,272. The film was notable because it saw Smith portray a character who does not fit the archetype of his usual roles. However, good acting unfortunately could not compensate for a poor and inconsistent script.

Best Superhero Movies by Rotten Tomatoes Rating

Sources:

• The Numbers
• Rotten Tomatoes

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