Box Office - U.S.: $620 million
Box Office - International: $882 million
Why: Ask anyone at Marvel Studios or the Walt Disney Company how much they thought the highly anticipated superhero team movie "The Avengers" would make and a $400 million U.S. gross would have been a best case scenario. So, imagine everyone's surprise with Joss Whedon's adventure flick pulled in the third highest domestic gross of all time (granted, 3D ticket prices helped) and will easily top the 2012 year-end charts. Not only did the success create a huge financial windfall for Disney, who needed it after the disastrous "John Carter" earlier this year, but it kick started a new ABC pilot ("S.H.I.E.L.D") and clearly justified Disney's $4 billion purchase of the iconic comic book company.