Kevin Feige is one of the most formative creators working in Hollywood today. As the chief architect behind the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, premiering later this year.
While Feige is best known for his work in the MCU, the producer got his start long before the beginning of the world's flagship cinematic universe. Working on several Marvel projects beforehand, some of Feige's early projects were especially lucrative, according to information from Box Office Mojo.
Hulk (2003) - $245,285,165
The 2003 film Hulk is generally accepted as one of the worst live-action adaptations of the eponymous superhero ever put to screen, though many fans still believe the film deserves a second chance. The film stars Australian actor Eric Bana in the main role of Dr. Bruce Banner, who becomes the Incredible Hulk after an accident in a gamma lab.
Despite being largely forgotten by the modern superhero fandom, Hulk was surprisingly lucrative, garnering over $200 million at the global box office (via Box Office Mojo). Though the franchise was never continued, this film helped kick Feige's career into high gear as his first executive producer credit.
X-Men (2000) - $296,339,528
Feige's top-rated non-MCU films and was the very first Marvel film on which the producer ever worked as an associate producer, quickly ascending the ranks to become an executive producer in future installments of the franchise.
Feige's first film was a financial success, surprising the public with its popularity. The film garnered just under $300 million against a $75 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). The film was the first of several popular films from Feige and Marvel in the early 2000s that established the company's presence on the movie scene.
Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer (2007) - $301,913,131
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is the sequel to 2005's Fantastic Four, with the entire cast of the original film returning. This time, the titular superhero team must thwart the threat of the space-cloud Galactus after his herald, the Silver Surfer, arrives on Earth with a cataclysmic message.
Following the less-than-warm reception to the original film, Rise of the Silver Surfer was destined to make less than its predecessor. However, the film's lifetime gross was not considerably worse than its 2005 counterpart, breaking $300 million (via Box Office Mojo). This, however, would mark the final time that Feige would work with these characters until their MCU reboot.
Fantastic Four (2005) - $333,535,934
Fantastic Four marks the first time that Marvel's First Family appeared in a theatrically released film, with Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, and Michael Chiklis in the main roles. This film also marks the first project on which Kevin Feige served as an executive producer, a role he continues to hold on most Marvel films to this day.
Fantastic Four was met with enthusiasm, despite most audiences agreeing that it ultimately failed to live up to the hype. Nevertheless, the movie garnered over $300 million at the worldwide box office (via Fantastic Four.
X-2: X-Men United (2003) - $407,711,549
X-2: X-Men United is the sequel to the 2000 X-Men film and is still considered by many to be among the best films in the franchise. As Feige's fourth Marvel project, this film also marked the final time that the filmmaker would be listed as a co-producer before being promoted to an executive producer for each of his future projects.
X2: X-Men United benefitted from the success of its predecessor as well as the phenomena surrounding the recent Spider-Man films. The sequel sured its predecessor by over $100 million (via Box Office Mojo), establishing the reign of the modern superhero film--and that of Feige's blossoming career.
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) - $460,435,291
X-Men: The Last Stand is the final film in the original X-Men trilogy and was Kevin Feige's last project involving Marvel's mutants until the fan-favorite comic book group s the MCU in the near future, with fans already wondering which X-Men might appear in the franchise first.
X-Men: The Last Stand was the worst-reviewed film in the X-Men trilogy at the time of its release, but its poor reviews certainly didn't seem to harm its box office numbers. Drawing a worldwide gross of $460 million (via Box Office Mojo), The Last Stand was the highest-earning X-Men film at the time, though later projects would sur its numbers.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) - $757,930,663
The Amazing Spider-Man is the first of Andrew Garfield's rebooted series starring the eponymous Wall-Crawler and one of the few non-MCU projects that Kevin Feige has been involved with since Iron Man's release in 2008, serving as an executive producer on the film.
The Amazing Spider-Man certainly didn't flop at the box office, but it was far from the financial success Sony had intended it to be. Despite a fresh cast and generally favorable reviews, the film was the lowest-earning Spider-Man project at the time, with just over $750 million in earnings at the worldwide market (via Box Office Mojo).
Spider-Man 2 (2004) - $788,976,453
Spider-Man 2 is the second of Sam Raimi's superhero trilogy starring Tobey Maguire and continues to be held in high esteem by Marvel fans everywhere for its unparalleled take on the classic character. Kevin Feige served as an executive producer on the project, a step up from his previous role as an associate producer for the preceding film.
Despite being the best-reviewed installment of the franchise, Spider-Man 2 was the lowest-earning, becoming the only film in Sam Raimi's trilogy to earn less than $800 million during its theatrical run (via Box Office Mojo). Nevertheless, the film was far from a disappointment, remaining one of the finest additions to Kevin Feige's pre-MCU filmography.
Spider-Man (2002) - $825,025,036
Spider-Man introduced the world to one of the best cinematic versions of Spider-Man, portrayed by Tobey Maguire. It also marks the first time that director Sam Raimi and then-associate producer Kevin Feige would work together, beginning a relationship that would comprise at least four films over the span of nearly twenty years, with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness acting as the latest collaboration between the two filmmakers.
Spider-Man was an all-out hit for Marvel and Sony, becoming the highest-earning Marvel film ever, with over $800 million at the global box office (via Spider-Man: No Way Home, nearly two decades later.
Spider-Man 3 (2007) - $894,983,373
Spider-Man 3 is the final film in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, pitting Peter Parker against the symbiote Venom. The film was generally received with disappointment from fans and critics, resulting in the cancelation of the planned fourth film and the subsequent 2012 reboot starring Andrew Garfield.
Though Spider-Man 3 was the worst-reviewed film in its franchise, it was clearly the most profitable at the worldwide box office, nearly reaching a total of $900 million (via Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2019, over a decade thereafter.
