A Marvel(ously) Successful Franchise The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is one of the biggest franchises in terms of popularity and box office gross. To this day, four MCU movies rank in the top ten of the biggest box office hits with Avengers: Infinity War ranking fourth worldwide. On the other hand, the DC Extended Universe, another superhero franchise, fails to achieve the same level of success. What is Marvel’s secret? Why are their movies so popular and successful?