Captain Marvel has become the latest film to gross $1 billion at the worldwide box office. When the movie was gearing up for its release in early March, tracking indicated it would have a very healthy global debut of around $350 million. However, due to a variety of factors that included poor competition and positive word-of-mouth, Captain Marvel shattered its commercial expectations and posted the sixth-highest global opening of all-time with a whopping $455 million.

Since then, Captain Marvel has soared up the charts, surpassing the final totals of several noteworthy superhero films in relatively no time at all. Considering the amount of money it brought in out of the gate, it was all but a guarantee it would pass the $1 billion mark at some point in its run. Now, it's accomplished that feat.

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According to The Wrap, Captain Marvel is up to $1 billion worldwide, making it the 38th film in history to gross that much. It's also the seventh $1 billion hit in the MCU, and only the third solo film in the franchise to pull this off (Black Panther and Iron Man 3 are the others). Most would agree that Captain America: Civil War, while part of Cap's standalone series, is a crossover event akin to the Avengers movies. In celebration, Marvel unveiled a new Captain Marvel poster:

At this point, nobody should be surprised that a Marvel movie was a monumental success at the box office. Over the past several years, they've made hit films out of everything from their household names (Spider-Man: Homecoming) to the most obscure comic book properties (Guardians of the Galaxy). Even Phase 1 was built on characters who were, at the time, considered to be second-tier. With $18 billion under their belt (and counting), Marvel is essentially invincible these days and they're obviously not showing any signs of slowing down. Successfully launching new characters like Black Panther and Captain Marvel should give the studio more confidence to reach even further into their vault and make something like The Eternals.

Captain Marvel being this big of a smash also helps the MCU as they look towards the inevitable transition away from the old guard of Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor. The contracts for many Phase 1 staples are up after Avengers: Endgame, and typically, franchises wouldn't be able to withstand losing their most recognizable stars. Of course, the MCU is far from your normal Hollywood franchise, and Carol Danvers can firmly slide alongside Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, and Black Panther as the new wave that'll carry the MCU forward into Phase 4 and beyond. Nothing's been officially green lit yet, but it goes without saying Captain Marvel sequels will definitely be on the table now.

More: Captain Marvel May Have Already Teased An Avengers Replacement

Source: The Wrap