For more than a decade, comic book movies were Hollywood’s surest bet. Audiences could count on at least one Marvel or DC (usually Marvel…) release smashing past $700 million globally every single year. However, that comic book movie box office hot streak is now broken.
Superman wounded in the snow in the trailer for James Gunn’s Superman – YouTube, DC
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In 2025, no comic book movies reached the $700 million box office milestone. It’s the first time this has happened in a non-lockdown year since 2011—and the reasons why reveal deep fractures in the super hero machine.
The 2020 Exception: Lockdown Shutdown
Yes, 2020 also lacked a $700 million super hero movie. But theaters worldwide were shuttered for much of that year. Films like Birds of Prey ($205M), Wonder Woman 1984 ($169M), and The New Mutants ($49M) never had a chance. Marvel even delayed its entire slate into 2021.
(L-R): Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and Yelena (Florence Pugh) in Marvel Studios‘ BLACK WIDOW, in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
For that reason, analysts don’t count 2020 against the streak. The lockdowns created a once-in-a-century asterisk.
That’s why 2025 matters so much: the failure comes with no global shutdowns to blame. This year was a genuine marketplace test—and the results were ugly.
2025’s Super Hero Scorecard
This year, Marvel and DC served up a combined four potential box office darling super hero movie opportunities and all of them struck out.
2025 is the first time since 2011 a comic book movie hasn’t reached $700M globally pic.twitter.com/7CDdQtzm8u
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) August 23, 2025
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Every one of these was positioned as a major tentpole. Not one delivered.
Superman
James Gunn’s highly anticipated reboot of DC’s crown jewel was supposed to relaunch the entire brand. On paper, the film did “fine,” topping out at around $601 million worldwide. It cleared a profit, but for such a big name hero, the total felt underwhelming.
Superman grimacing by a Stagg Industries sign in the trailer for James Gunn’s Superman – YouTube, DC
Superman was expected to re-establish DC as a box office powerhouse. Instead, it showed the ceiling for these films has dropped. The movie’s international performance in particular lagged, with markets like China and South Korea no longer providing the kind of windfall that boosted earlier super hero outings.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Marvel’s long-teased reboot of the “first family” of comics carried heavy expectations. The studio marketed it as a new cornerstone of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and its opening weekend was impressive — over $100 million domestic, Marvel’s best start of 2025.
The cast of Fantastic Four: First Steps – YouTube, Marvel Entertainment
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But after the initial hype, word of mouth collapsed. The second weekend saw a brutal 66% drop, one of the steepest in Marvel history. While its run is ongoing, the film has all but closed with $475 million globally — less than half of what many analysts predicted. For a franchise positioned as a fresh pillar for Marvel, the result was a major disappointment.
Captain America: Brave New World
This was Marvel’s chance to carry the mantle of Captain America into a new era. Instead, it produced one of the MCU’s most shocking downturns.
Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America in Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD. Photo by Eli Adé. © 2024 MARVEL.
The film debuted respectably but suffered a devastating 68% domestic drop in its second weekend, leaving box office watchers stunned. That level of collapse placed it among the worst Marvel holdovers ever, and audiences quickly tuned out.
The final tally of $376 million worldwide cemented it as one of the weakest performing Captain America films, despite Marvel pouring significant resources into promotion. What was meant to be a torch-passing success story ended up exposing just how far audience trust in the brand has eroded.
Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts was marketed as an edgy team-up of fan-favorite anti-heroes. Studio insiders touted it as a potential sleeper hit that could rally the brand during a rocky phase.
The team in Marvels Thunderbolts* – YouTube, Marvel Entertainment
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Instead, it barely made a splash. Opening weekends were soft, international numbers were weaker, and the film never found momentum. Its final gross — $371 million worldwide — places it firmly in flop territory. Even with aggressive marketing, a stacked cast, and a third period rebrand to The New Avengers, audiences weren’t interested.
For Marvel, this wasn’t just another underperformer; it was a sign that even ensemble “event” movies can’t guarantee results anymore.
Why Did the Genre Fall Short?
There are many reasons one can point to for why the super her movie genre continues to plummet at the box office.
1. International Markets Vanished
China, South Korea, and Russia once provided hundreds of millions in extra box office.
President Xi Jinping of China issues a New Year’s Address – YouTube, South China Morning Post
Now they’re closed, restricted, or disinterested. Without those markets, even a strong domestic run can’t reach old heights.
2. Super Hero Fatigue
Fifteen years of interconnected universes has left audiences exhausted. People are tired of homework disguised as entertainment.
3. Streaming Changed Habits
Fans know Disney+ and Max will have these films within weeks. The urgency to rush to theaters is gone.
4. Quantity Over Quality
Marvel and DC flooded the market with spinoffs, reboots, and endless setups for “the next big thing.” Audiences aren’t buying in anymore.
5. Audience Rejection is Immediate
Even when opening weekends looked promising, audiences didn’t return. Fantastic Four dropped over 65% in its second weekend. Captain America plummeted nearly 70%.
Harrison Ford as the Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World – YouTube, Marvel Entertainment
When word of mouth turns toxic, these movies no longer recover.
But all of these reasons hold a collective second place to the big deterrent to the super hero movie box office draws of yesterday…
6. Ideology Over Storytelling
Here’s the elephant in the room: Marvel has leaned heavily into political and cultural messaging.
Once broad-appeal franchises built on action and fun are now repackaged as lecture halls. Core male audiences who carried Marvel through its golden era feel alienated, while general audiences tune out.
(L-R): Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers, and Teyonah Parris as Captain Monica Rambeau in Marvel Studios’ THE MARVELS. Photo by Laura Radford. © 2023 MARVEL.
Marvel’s pivot toward building what some critics call a “female brand” has stripped the movies of the balance that once attracted everyone. Yes, women were always part of Marvel’s success—no one denied that. But the decision to shift the brand’s identity away from its most loyal demographic has proven disastrous.
Fantastic Four, Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts didn’t fail because they lacked star power. They failed because audiences didn’t want the message being sold.
A Year Long Pause
Adding insult to injury, Hollywood now faces a super hero drought unlike anything audiences have seen in more than a decade. The last major release was Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps on July 25, 2025. After that? Nothing.
Silver Surfer from Fantastic Four First Steps (2025); Screenshot
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For 11 months, the genre will vanish from the big screen. The drought won’t break until DC’s Supergirl arrives on June 26, 2026, followed a month later by Marvel and Sony’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31, 2026.
Tom Holland as Spider-Man in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Marvel Studios
Whether intentional or not, this gap demonstrates just how far the super hero machine has fallen. Instead of packing theaters every few months, studios are retreating, spacing their bets, and hoping that scarcity will rekindle audience demand.
It’s a gamble—one that could either restore the genre’s dominance or prove that the fatigue is permanent.
What’s Next for Comic Book Movies at the Box Office?
The data is clear: comic book movies no longer print money at the box office on name alone. If Marvel and DC want to return to billion-dollar dominance, they’ll need to stop preaching, stop alienating half their audience, and rediscover what made people fall in love with these characters in the first place.
James Gunn introduces the trailer for Peacemaker Season 2 – YouTube, DC
Until then, 2025 will be remembered as a turning point. Not as a lockdown anomaly, but as the year Hollywood learned the hard way that audiences are done paying for lectures in capes.
Do you think comic book movies will ever be dominant at the box office again? Share your thoughts in the comment section!
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