The Financially Disappointing Superhero Movies of the Year UCMthe UDCand other franchises sometimes deserve to have achieved much more tangible success. The MCU films may have cemented superhero films as the most financially successful genre in cinema history, but it wasn't always that way. Despite the record-breaking success of some superhero films, there are always those that don't live up to the expectations placed upon them.
Big budgets mean big returns are needed for a superhero movie to be considered a financial success. This isn't always viable, and sometimes – as with some DCEU films – it can lead to a huge failure. Even so, failing at the box office does not necessarily mean that a film is not of quality, as there are many examples of films in the genre without financial success that deserve much more recognition. With that in mind, here are 10 superhero movie flops that should have been hits.
10
Spider-Man 3 didn't achieve the success of its predecessors
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
While Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films are widely cited as having confirmed the box office potential of the superhero genre, they haven't had the same success. The first two films delivered not only healthy financial returns but also impressive critical reception, generating high expectations for the third film. Sadly, Spider-Man 3 It didn't perform as well as its predecessors, and while it still earned a respectable box office, it didn't live up to expectations.
The success of the first two films increased confidence in Raimi's ability to make big money at the box office. This led to Spider-Man 3 becoming the most expensive film ever made at the time of its release, with even greater returns expected. Considering the popularity of its predecessors and the studio's expectations, it deserved to do better at the box office of what finally happened.
9
Blade: Trinity followed two great films
Blade: Trinity (2004)
Another superhero trilogy that predates the MCU film timeline, Blade: Trinity was released after two respected films featuring Wesley Snipes' vampire hunter. The third film in the trilogy did not perform particularly well at the box office, with negative reviews significantly impacting its chances of success. However, in a specific way, Blade: Trinity apparently it deserved to be a success.
Although the film was largely inferior to its predecessors, it had a built-in audience that provided sequels to popular films. Released based on two popular and generally successful films, Blade: Trinity should have achieved significant box office gross, if only on the merit of its place in the franchise. What's more, the film's addition of new characters to the Blade cinematic mythos was an interesting – if poorly executed – development, which means it probably should have yielded a lot more.
8
Jonah Hex failed to turn a great cast into success
Jonas Hex (2010)
2010 Jonas Hex is widely considered one of the worst superhero films ever made and was practically rejected by everyone involved. Against a budget of US$47 million, the film's box office gross was just US$11 million, making it one of the worst failures in the history of the genre. Even so, it should have been much more successful, as from a marketing point of view it could have attracted a much larger audience.
Jonas Hex boasted not only an interesting premise but also a star-studded cast. With Josh Brolin in the title role accompanied by names like Megan Fox, John Malkovich, Michael Fassbender, Will Arnett and Michael Shannon, Jonas HexThe cast of was practically full of talented artists. However, the film's negative reviews led to significant disappointment at the box office, meaning it never lived up to the implied potential of its incredible cast.
7
Wonder Woman 1984 failed for reasons beyond its control
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Wonder Woman 1984 is often cited among the DCEU's worst films, as well as one of the franchise's biggest box office flops. The sequel's inability to earn box office revenue was not explicitly tied to its apparent lack of quality, as it was real-world events that fueled its lack of success. Launched in December 2020, Wonder Woman 1984 fell victim to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
As Wonder Woman remains one of the DCEU's most popular films, its sequel deserved much greater success. What is more, Wonder Woman 1984 managed to achieve a respectable box office considering the restrictions on its theatrical release, indicating that If it had been released at another time, it would have been much more successful. Despite the perceived shortcomings that led to mixed reviews, it's clear that the DCEU film should have garnered much more at the box office.
6
Black Adam's marketing push should have worked
Black Adam (2022)
2022 saw the launch of Black Adamthe long-awaited DCEU debut of Dwayne Johnson as the titular character. The film failed to break even at the box office, grossing US$393 million worldwide against an estimated budget of US$260 million. While this is partly due to negative reviews and declining public interest in the DCEU story, Black Adam It should have performed much better than it did.
Black Adam has received one of the most considerable marketing pushes in the entire DCEU, led in part by its star's massive social media influence. Black AdamThe cast was also full of talent, including Pierce Brosnan, Aldis Hodge and Noah Centineo, which gave the film additional appeal. Even so, it failed to reach the expected box office, something that Johnson himself attributes to the film not being released in China. Considering its place in the DCEU and the context surrounding its release, Black AdamThe failure of remains somewhat surprising.
5
The best qualities of wonders did not bring success
The Wonders (2023)
Launched in 2023, The wonders won the unfortunate prize of being the lowest-grossing MCU film. The film saw the return of Captain Marvel, as well as Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau, who were featured in the popular MCU shows Ms. Marvel and WandaVisionrespectively. The film was a considerable box office bomb and proved to be the MCU's most disastrous release.
The wonders in fact it deserved to be much more successful. Following three of the MCU's most popular releases in previous years, The wonders seemed poised to capitalize on their combined success. However, mixed reviews and audience fatigue with superheroes were cited as major contributors to its failure. Even so, The wonders is far from a bad film, and considering some of the other unpopular MCU films, its quality should have yielded a more substantial box office haul.
4
The return of Michael Keaton's Batman deserved to boost The Flash's success
The Flash (2023)
The Flash ended up being the DCEU's penultimate release, despite initially being marketed as something of a fresh start for the franchise. The 2023 film grossed $271 million at the box office, earning it status as a major flop considering an estimated budget of up to $220 million. Although the factors cited as reasons for its failure were numerous, The Flash it should still have been a success for one important reason.
Even during its long and turbulent production, The Flash remained a highly anticipated film in the DCEU, as it was considered the long-awaited return of Michael Keaton's Batman. Reports regarding his role in the franchise have varied over time, but he has been regarded as the DCEU's resident Dark Knight, with The Flash providing the franchise with a soft reset of sorts. Although this was not the case, the excitement over Keaton's return should have been deserved The Flash more success.
3
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was harshly judged
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Marc Webb's second film Amazing Spider-Man the franchise saw Andrew Garfield reprise his role two years after his Marvel debut. The film followed the events of The Amazing Spider-Manteasing the appearance of new Spider-Man villains and a deeper exploration of the hero's past and future. It proved to be a failure not in a financial sense, but rather in terms of overall success, as interest in the franchise quickly waned after its release.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has since undergone a much more favorable reassessment, indicating that in fact, it deserved to have been better considered at launch. If that were the case, the film's box office take would undoubtedly have been higher, and its teased sequel would likely have materialized. An interesting and innovative chapter in the Spider-Man film timeline, which ultimately deserved to have been a much bigger success than it was.
2
Suicide Squad's success was impacted by real-world issues
The Suicide Squad (2021)
The Suicide Squad is one of the DCEU's most fascinating releases, as its popularity hasn't been remotely reflected in its box office. Recovering just $168 million of its $185 million budget, it was considered a considerable failure at the box office, although this was in no way an indicator of its quality. Complications from the COVID-19 pandemic and the film's simultaneous streaming release were cited as major factors in its box office failure, indicating exactly why it deserved to be a success.
The Suicide Squad It is by far one of the best films in the DCEU. Considering its cast, its colorful and compelling execution, its unique vision, and its well-balanced lightness, The Suicide Squad It's one of the best-made films in the franchise. However, due to the real-world issues surrounding its release and its connection to 2016 Suicide Squadultimately was unable to translate this into financial success.
1
Dredd should have been a huge success
Dred (2012)
2012 saw the release of Dredda film adaptation of the 2000 AD character Judge Dredd. The second live-action adaptation of the character after the critically panned 1995 film Judge Dredd, Dredd suffered from a bad marketing campaign. It grossed just US$41.5 million at the box office, against a budget of between US$30 and 45 million. Despite being a box office failure, Dredd it has since achieved cult status.
Critics praised the film, and its lasting popularity with audiences is a good indicator of its overall quality. Considering its relatively low budget, Dredd is a brilliantly realized adaptation of the character, and fans have maintained a campaign for a sequel despite the box office disappointment. Looking at the factors surrounding DreddWith continued cult status, it is one of those rare box office flops outside of the UCM and UDC that really deserved to be a success.