Warner Bros. has gone more than a year without a new theatrical release reaching $100 million at the domestic box office, a striking reversal from its record-setting run in 2025.
The drought has continued through expensive disappointments including Supergirl, The Bride!, and Tom Cruise’s Digger. Meanwhile, the studio has undergone a major leadership overhaul following its merger with Paramount-Skydance.
The Bride smirks in The Bride! – YouTube, Warner Bros.
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There is a likely end in sight: Dune: Part Three arrives in December and is expected to break the dry spell. But that anticipated success would cap a difficult year for a studio that recently demonstrated how consistently a varied slate could draw audiences.
Warner Bros.’ Last $100 Million Domestic Release Arrived In September 2025
According to Fiction Horizon, box office analyst Gitesh Pandya noted on November 1 that Warner Bros. had gone 13 consecutive months without a new release reaching $100 million domestically. None had even reached $90 million.
The last film to clear the threshold was The Conjuring: Last Rites, released in September 2025. It ultimately earned approximately $177.8 million domestically and nearly $500 million worldwide.
THIRTEEN
That is the number of consecutive months WB has now gone without ANY new film reaching $100M at domestic #boxoffice!
Or even $90M!!
Last one was Conjuring: Last Rites from SEP 2025.
😱 1⃣3⃣ 😱
— Gitesh Pandya (@GiteshPandya) November 1, 2026
Box Office Mojo’s figures illustrate the studio’s diminished results. Wuthering Heights stands at approximately $84 million domestically, followed by Mortal Kombat II at $79.8 million and Supergirl at $72.4 million.
A domestic total below $100 million does not automatically make a film unprofitable. Budgets, overseas receipts, marketing, and subsequent revenue all matter. Nevertheless, the prolonged absence of a major domestic performer is a conspicuous weakness for a studio of Warner Bros.’ size.
From Record Openings To A Prolonged Slump
The contrast with Warner Bros.’ remarkable 2025 streak could hardly be sharper.
Seven consecutive releases opened above $40 million domestically: A Minecraft Movie, Sinners, Final Destination: Bloodlines, F1, Superman, Weapons, and The Conjuring: Last Rites. The run combined established properties with original films and included Apple’s F1, which Warner Bros. distributed.
A screenshot from the trailer for The Conjuring: Last Rites – YouTube, Warner Bros.
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In its year-end shareholder letter, Warner Bros. Discovery described the seven-film achievement as a first for any studio. It also reported nine number-one openings during 2025 and $4.4 billion in worldwide box office.
Those results suggested Warner Bros. had found a formula for consistent theatrical success. Its subsequent performance demonstrates how quickly a successful slate can give way to a much weaker one.
Expensive Films Failed To Deliver
Supergirl became one of the clearest examples of that reversal.
Variety reported that the DC film cost $170 million to produce, with approximately $120 million spent on marketing. Its early analysis projected substantial losses even if worldwide receipts reached $200 million.
The film ultimately fell well short of that scenario. Box Office Mojo lists approximately $72.4 million domestically and $126.5 million worldwide. Those receipts underscore the disappointment documented after its weak opening weekend.
A clip from Supergirl – DC
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Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! also delivered a costly failure. TheWrap reported an $80 million production budget and approximately $65 million in marketing. The film finished with only about $24 million worldwide.
Then came Digger’s $8 million domestic opening.
According to TheWrap, insiders put its production budget between $163 million and $173 million, plus roughly $100 million in marketing. The outlet reported projected losses as high as $250 million, while another source estimated $200 million to $215 million.
Those figures remain projections, rather than studio-confirmed final losses. However, Warner Bros. reportedly fully financed the film, leaving it without an outside partner to share the financial damage.
New Leadership Looks Toward Dune
The downturn has coincided with a major executive shakeup following the Paramount-Skydance merger.
Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, whose tenure included the studio’s celebrated 2025 slate, were dismissed. David Ellison subsequently placed Paramount’s Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein in charge of overseeing film output for both studios.
The change does not establish that box office failures alone drove their departures. But it leaves the incoming leadership with the challenge of restoring audience appeal while managing the financial risks of its releases.
DUNE: PART THREE crossed the $25M mark in pre-sales at the domestic box office, 48 days before its release.
Pre-release sales are better than THE ODYSSEY, making possible a $120M+ domestic debut. https://t.co/oG3QLFpLlp
— Global Box Office (@GlobalBoxOffice) October 31, 2026
Warner Bros. still has a major release ahead before the year ends. Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three opens in North America on December 18, and Global Box Office reports that domestic presales have passed $25 million. The account says advance sales are outpacing The Odyssey, pointing to a possible domestic opening above $120 million—enough to end Warner Bros.’ drought in a single weekend.
That remains a projection, but it suggests a strong finish to a disappointing year. The larger test is whether Warner Bros. can follow a major franchise success with a consistently stronger slate. Ending the dry spell would be welcome; rebuilding the momentum of 2025 will require more than one hit.
Are you surprised that Warner Bros. hasn’t produced a film that crossed $100 million domestically in over a year? Sound off and let us know!
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