With the release of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" this week, Marvel Studios will welcome the 30th entry into its ever-growing cinematic universe.

The home of characters like Spider-Man and Captain America has almost single-handedly transformed the blockbuster moviegoing experience into the domain of superheroes and franchise entertainment. 

And that has paid off handsomely for parent company Disney, which acquired Marvel in 2009 for $4 billion. 

Since the release of 2010's "Iron Man 2", Marvel has helped Disney rake in $22.5 billion at the global box office. In 2022 alone, "Thor: Love and Thunder" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" brought in a combined $1.69 billion. 

In fact, 10 of the 29 films released since the Marvel Cinematic Universe first kicked off with 2008's "Iron Man" have grossed more than $1 billion at the global box office. 

"They created the new benchmark in filmdom in terms of what we think a blockbuster should gross," Exhibitor Relations Co. media analyst Jeff Bock tells CNBC Make It.

"They are the epitome of box office success in terms of how we even frame that conversation."

Even Marvel's lowest-grossing movies still did big numbers at the box office, with "Black Widow" bringing in $379 million and "Eternals" earning $401 million, despite depressed numbers from poor reviews and suppressed theatergoing during the pandemic. 

"Wakanda Forever" is the sequel to 2018's "Black Panther," which earned $1.3 billion and is currently the No. 14 highest-grossing movie ever made.

Whether or not it will live up to the performance of the original remains to be seen — the film is without Chadwick Boseman, who played the titular Black Panther and died in 2020 after a private cancer battle. 

But "Black Panther" losing its star doesn't mean audiences won't flock to see the film. Bock notes that fans of the "Fast" franchise came out in droves to see "Furious 7," which lost star Paul Walker in the middle of filming.

That film, which included a heartfelt tribute to Walker, earned $1.5 billion and is currently the No. 10 highest-grossing film ever. 

"When we talk about the loss of Chadwick Boseman, this is really a tribute to him as well," Bock says. "You're inclined to think that a lot of people are going to show up to this in the same way that they did [for 'Furious 7']."

"Wakanda Forever" will have a relatively clear runway to attempt to surpass its predecessor, with no other big-name movies coming down the pike until James Cameron's "Avatar: The Way of Water" hits theaters in mid-December.

If recent history is any indication, Marvel's 30th film is likely to be a box-office success.

"When we look at the top 10, top 20 films of all time, those are now populated with a lot of Marvel films, and will continue to be for some time," Bock says.

"A lot of people were calling for the death of the superhero film, and that just was a little premature. Some people may be tired of them, but audiences certainly aren't."

Top 10 highest-grossing Marvel movies of all time

Here are Marvel's 10 highest-grossing films ever, according to box-office data from The Numbers.

10. 'Captain Marvel'

Release year: 2019

Worldwide gross: $1.12B

9. 'Spider-Man: Far From Home'

Release year: 2019

Worldwide gross: $1.13B

8. 'Captain America: Civil War'

Release year: 2016

Worldwide gross: $1.15B

7. 'Iron Man 3'

Release year: 2013

Worldwide gross: $1.21B

6. 'Black Panther'

Release year: 2018

Worldwide gross: $1.33B

5. 'Avengers: Age of Ultron'

Release year: 2015

Worldwide gross: $1.39B

4. 'The Avengers'

Release year: 2012

Worldwide gross: $1.51B

3. 'Spider-Man: No Way Home'

Release year: 2021

Worldwide gross: $1.91B

2. 'Avengers: Infinity War'

Release year: 2018

Worldwide gross: $2.04B

1. 'Avengers: Endgame'

Release year: 2019

Worldwide gross: $2.79B

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