Remember when David Zaslav was a buffoon CEO in need of being fired? Remember when Bob Iger was declaring that Disney was about to have their best box office run since 2019? We certainly do, and we’re reminded of just how much (and how quickly) times can change.
Through Labor Day and into early September 2025, Warner Bros. has edged past Disney in the domestic box-office race on the strength of a remarkably balanced slate—family four-quadrant plays, a rejuvenated DC tentpole, prestige action, and a red-hot horror run. The Numbers’ year-to-date studio ledger shows Warner Bros. leading domestic market share and grosses ($1.68B) ahead of Walt Disney ($1.53B), a data point that underscores Warners’ consistency across multiple releases rather than reliance on one mega-hit.
A screenshot from A Minecraft Movie – YouTube, Warner Bros.
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At the individual-title level, Warners owns two of the year’s top three domestic earners: A Minecraft Movie sits narrowly ahead of Disney’s Lilo & Stitch for the #1 spot domestically ($423.9M vs. $423.6M), while Superman has added robust summer muscle at $353.3M domestic. Box Office Mojo’s 2025 leaderboard confirms that trio atop the chart, with F1: The Movie also cracking the domestic top dozen. Together, those titles illustrate how Warners spread risk and reward across seasons—Minecraft (spring), Superman (mid-summer), and F1 (late-June/July legs).
Theater Employee chicken Jockey warning 😭💀 pic.twitter.com/pproRbxPKk
— 🖤 Buy Physical Media 🖤 (@VHSDVDBLURAY4K) April 25, 2025
Momentum matters, and Warners seized it. James Gunn’s Superman posted one of 2025’s few $100M+ domestic openings and quickly powered past $600M, though one might readily admit it’s probably less than originally planned. The studio then leveraged August/September—a corridor many studios treat as a breather—turning it into a showcase. Zach Cregger’s Weapons over-delivered with a $42.5M domestic debut and strong legs, while early September delivered a blowout for The Conjuring: Last Rites, capping an unprecedented Warners streak of $40M+ openings stretching back to Minecraft. Barron’s likewise pegs Warners as more than just a first weekend-leader, turning into a horror reigniting force of nature that nearly beat a month of Freakier Friday… in just three days!
Experiment 626 in the Live Action Lilo & Stitch movie – YouTube, IGN
Disney, to its credit, scored the year’s first (and only) Hollywood $1B global film with Lilo & Stitch; Lilo is also #2 worldwide YTD. But beyond that breakout, the 2025 Disney slate has been choppier: Captain America: Brave New World ($200.5M domestic) and Thunderbolts* ($190.3M) underperformed historical MCU norms, limiting Disney’s ability to convert one monster performer into an insurmountable market-share lead.
Industry trades are noticing. A recent summer wrap highlighted Disney’s narrow seasonal market-share win but labeled Warner Bros. the “toast of the town,” crediting Weapons, Superman, Apple’s F1: The Movie (distributed by Warners), and carryover from A Minecraft Movie and Sinners for the surge. The piece doubles as a narrative pivot for Warners’ film chiefs, for whom results have quieted skepticism.
Bob Iger via New York Times Events YouTube
What is so amazing about all of this is that the tables have utterly turned on the two CEOs going head-to-head. One year ago, 24/7 Wall Street was declaring that David Zaslav should be fired from Warner Bros and labeled him a catastrophe!
David Zaslav has had a chance to make the merger work, and it has been a catastrophe.
— David McIntyre, 24/7 Wall Street
Meanwhile, everyone was ready for the second-coming of 2019 based on what Bob Iger was saying just a few months ago…
“I have a lot of confidence that are upcoming slate,” Iger said. He then pretty much listed all of them out individually.
…
Other films Iger singled out for having his attention and endorsement are Pixar’s Elio (June) and The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July), as well as Tron: Ares, Zootopia 2, and Avatar 3: Fire and Ash coming later in 2025.
— Tony Maglio, THR
But will the Hollywood elites acknowledge that Zaslav is serving crow and Disney can’t go with the comeback story they wanted so badly?
Don’t hold your breath. But maybe do hold the receipts.
How do you feel about the Warner Bros box office success? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
