Summary
TheX-Menfranchise ranks among the most successful at the box office, begging the question of how each individual film ranks within the series. Thechronological order of theX-Menmoviesis admittedly confusing, primarily due to the multiple timelines the series focuses on. This can be argued to have been made more confusing thanks toDeadpool & Wolverine, which retroactively classes theX-Menas a series that can beranked among the MCU’s box office franchises.
That said, the perplexingtimeline of Fox’sX-Menmoviesdid not impact how well they performed commercially. When stacked against other Hollywood franchises and their worldwide gross, theX-Menfranchise is the eighth most successful of all time. This is only set to continue withupcoming Marvel movies, given that Marvel Studios is currently developing anX-Menmovie in the MCU. However, focusing solely on the Fox movies, the question remains of how theX-Menmovies rank against one another regarding their total worldwide gross.
Marvel’s X-Men Movie: Everything We Know
Anticipation is high for the MCU’s X-Men movie reboot, but details are still scarce about when the movie will be released and what it will be about.
The following list contains only the mainline X-Men movies with figures fromThe Numbers, discounting spin-offs such as the Wolverine trilogy and Deadpool trilogy among others.
$200 million
$65,845,974
$180,510,921
Worldwide Gross
$246,356,895
The lowest-grossing mainlineX-Menmovie is 2019’sDark Phoenix. This film was the fourth in Fox’s prequelX-Mentimeline, and was described as the studio course-correcting for the way it mishandled the Phoenix Saga inX-Men: The Last Stand. Although it contained the promising cast assembled in the prior prequel movies,Dark Phoenixwas critically panned upon release and now ranks as the worst-reviewed mainlineX-Menmovie. Evidently, this critical failure went hand-in-hand withDark Phoenix’s commercial flop.
Dark Phoenix was the last mainline X-Men before before Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
Domestically, the film grossed a measly $65 million in its theatrical run, with $32 million of this figure coming in its opening weekend. The movie did not have legs at the domestic box office, andDark Phoenixdid not fare much better in international markets. Despite tripling the domestic total,Dark Phoenix’s gross of $180 million in overseas territories was still not enough to warrant the film a success. With a worldwide total of $246 million,Dark Phoenixsits at the bottom of the pile for mainlineX-Menmovies.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix
Cast
The team faces internal and external challenges in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, as Jean Grey transforms after absorbing a cosmic force during a space rescue mission. This newfound power tests her stability, prompting the X-Men to confront both Jean’s volatile state and alien forces seeking to exploit her abilities.
$75 million
$157,299,717
$139,572,650
$296,872,367
Given thatX-Menwas one of the pioneers of the so-called Golden Age of superhero cinema, it is not surprising that it is one of the lowest-grossing movies in the franchise. The popularity of theX-Menfranchise only came as a result ofX-Men’s strong critical reception, growing over time from 2000 onwards. That is not to say thatX-Menwas a failure though, given that the film had a relatively small budget that saw its worldwide haul deem it a success and the kickstarter of the eighth-most profitable movie franchise in history.
This $157 million was combined with an international total of $139 million to see the film earnX-Mena grand total of $296 million…
In domestic territories,X-Menearned more than double its production budget. The $75 million the film cost was offset by its $157 million gross in North America and Canada. Worldwide, the film’s success was even more obvious. This $157 million was combined with an international total of $139 million to see the film earnX-Mena grand total of $296 million. This means thatX-Mengrossed just short of four times its production budget, explaining why 20th Century Fox continued producing installments in the franchise for almost two more decades.
$160 million
$146,408,305
$209,000,000
$355,408,305
After the originalX-Mentrilogy and the lukewarm critical reception toX-Men: The Last Stand, the franchise was soft-rebooted with a prequel movie. The film,X-Men: First Class, focused on the younger versions of Professor X and Magneto as they attempted to build a safe haven for mutants. Despite earning more than 2000’sX-Men,First Classis less of an outright success due to the inflated budget. That said, the numbers domestically and internationally proved to be enough of a positive for Fox, considering that it spawned another trilogy of mutant-led movies.
Domestically,X-Men: First Classgrossed around $146 million, falling slightly short of its $160 million budget. Thankfully, the prequel was more successful in international markets, earning $209 million to giveX-Men: First Classa worldwide haul of $255 million. This means thatFirst Classlikely broke even, as this benchmark is usually set at double a film’s production budget. Notably.X-Men: First Classhad a strong home release. This presumably factored into Fox’s decision to produce a sequel to both it and the original trilogy,X-Men: Days of Future Past,with both being considered among thebest-rankedX-Menfilms.
X-Men: First Class
X-Men: First Class explores the origins of Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr, who later become Professor X and Magneto. Set during the early days of their friendship, the film depicts their collaborative efforts with other mutants to avert a significant global threat.
$125 million
$214,949,694
$191,398,936
$406,348,630
The fourth-highest-grossingX-Menmovie of all time is the sequel to 2000’sX-Men, X2: X-Men United. The aforementioned commercial success ofX-Men, alongside a strong critical reaction, saw 20th Century Fox immediately commission a sequel, with director Bryan Singer researching stories for a continuation only five months afterX-Men’s release.X2: X-Men Unitedwas released three years after the first, in May 2003, to an even stronger critical reception. Not only that, butX2’s commercial success surpassed that of its predecessor.
X2: X-Men Unitedgrossed $406 million, over triple its production budget…
Like the first movie,X2: X-Men Unitedhad a higher domestic total than an international one. The film’s $125 million budget was almost earned back entirely in the U.S. and Canada alone, earning a haul of $214 million during its theatrical run. The international numbers forX2were not quite as strong, though not far off, earning $191 million. Combined, this meansX2: X-Men Unitedgrossed $406 million, over triple its production budget.
X2: X-Men United
X2 is the second installment in the X-Men film series, where Professor Charles Xavier’s team faces growing anti-mutant forces led by Col. William Stryker. In response, mutants Storm, Wolverine, and Jean Grey form an uneasy alliance with adversaries Magneto and Mystique to counter Stryker’s plans to eradicate mutants.
The Best X-Men Movie’s Hidden Message Is Even More Important In 2024
One of the hidden messages in Fox’s best X-Men movies concerned something that should make a resurgence in 2024 despite what Iger says.
$210 million
$234,362,462
$224,898,484
$459,260,946
LikeX2,X-Men: The Last Standwas ordered by Fox almost immediately after the success of its predecessor. Ironically, though,X-Men: The Last Standreceived a more negative critical reception than the prior two movies while earning more than both. However,X-Men: The Last Standhad a larger budget than the first two and was considered the most expensive movie in history at the time of its release. This fact marksThe Last Standas less of a success overall - also due to thepoorly agedX-Menscenesthat saw its reviews be more negative - despite earning more than bothX-MenandX2: X-Men United.
X-Men: The Last Stand was the first movie in the franchise not to be directed by Bryan Singer, with Brett Ratner taking over after an extensive search.
In all territories,X-Men: The Last Standwas more successful thanX2, though not by much. When taking into account the $85 million increase in budget,X-Men: The Last Stand’s box office gross does not look as promising. Regardless, the film still earned $234 million in domestic territories, with an international gross of $224 million. This tookX-Men 3’sworldwide total to $459 million, almost 2.5 times its production budget. While this total was still more thanX-MenandX2, the higher budget and weaker critical reception saw theX-Menfranchise somewhat rebooted with 2011’sX-Men:First Class.
X-Men 3: The Last Stand
X-Men: The Last Stand is the third and final installment in Bryan Singer’s original X-Men trilogy. It adapts Marvel’s famous “Dark Phoenix” storyline, with Famke Janssen’s Jean Grey embracing her supernatural power to unleash chaos on mutantkind. Fox’s 2006 superhero movie brings back franchise mainstays such as Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, and Ian McKellen’s Magneto, and it introduces major mutant characters such as Kelsey Grammer’s Beast, Ben Foster’s Angel, and Vinnie Jones' Juggernaut.
$178 million
$155,442,489
$387,095,057
$542,537,546
X-Men: Apocalypsewas the third movie in Fox’s prequel series, focusing on the team battling the titular villain, Apocalypse.X-Men: Apocalypsewas considered somewhat of a critical disappointment in comparison toFirst ClassandDays of Future Past,given that both its predecessors earned much better reviews. That said, the film was still a commercial success, if not quite a complete home run for 20th Century Fox. Discarding spin-offs and single-character movies,X-Men: Apocalypseis the second-highest-grossing film in the franchise.
Against a budget of $178 million,X-Men: Apocalypseearned $155 million domestically. Although this is an admirable haul, the film’s international box office was much more successful. In other territories,X-Men: Apocalypsegrossed $387 million for a worldwide total of $542 million. This reversed the trend of the original trilogy;X-Menfilms tended to perform better domestically than internationally, with this being reversed starting withX-Men: First Class.
X-Men Apocalypse
The third installment of the X-Men prequel films, and the ninth film in the overall X-Men movie franchise, X-Men: Apocalypse once again sees Professor Xavier and Magneto on opposite sides of a catastrophic conflict. Having been raised from the dead, the ancient mutant Apocalypse wishes to wipe out all of humanity, and recruits four mutants including Magneto to help him in his quest, leading Xavier and his young team of X-Men to try and stop them. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender reprise their roles as Professor Xavier and Magneto, with a larger ensemble cast that includes Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Olivia Munn, and Oscar Isaac.
$233,921,534
$513,941,241
$747,862,775
The crown jewel ofX-Menmovies at the worldwide box office is also the highest-reviewed of the mainline films,X-Men: Days of Future Past. This film combined the characters ofFirst Classwith those of the originalX-Mentrilogy, bringing both stories together in a time-travel story that many count as the best in the franchise. As evident, the film’s earnings reflected this, despite rewatches highlighting someharsh realities aboutX-Men: Days of Future Past.
X-Men: Days of Future Past was the first movie Bryan Singer directed in the franchise since X2: X-Men United.
Domestically,X-Men: Days of Future Pastearned $233 million, only $1 million shy of beatingX-Men: The Last Standas the highest-grossingX-Menmovie in North America and Canada. Internationally,the film’s $513 million haul easily sees it ranking as the best-performingX-Menmovie outside of domestic markets, beating outX-Men: Apocalypseby almost $150 million. This success sawX-Men: Days of Future Pastearn a worldwide total of $747 million, over triple its budget, marking the film as the highest-grossing mainlineX-Menmovie of all time.
X-Men: Days of Future Past
X-Men: Days of Future Past features a time-traveling mission where the ultimate X-Men ensemble battles across two periods. Combining forces with their younger selves, they attempt to alter the past to ensure the future of their species. Released in 2014, the film stars Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, and Michael Fassbender.
