Top 20 Superhero Movies That Bombed At The Box Office

For the past twenty years, superhero movies have been incredibly popular and profitable. However, not every attempt to bring comic books to the big screen succeeds. Studios often spend huge amounts of money on making and promoting these films, hoping to create successful, long-running series. Unfortunately, some major superhero projects have flopped, either because critics didn’t like them or they were released at the wrong time. These failures are a warning to the industry, showing that relying on well-known names isn’t enough – quality matters too. Here are some of the biggest money-losing superhero films ever made.

‘The Marvels’ (2023)

Captain Marvel joins forces with Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau to protect the universe from a dangerous Kree rebel. As they fight, their powers become linked, causing them to switch places unexpectedly. Despite the exciting premise, this Marvel movie didn’t resonate with audiences and had lower ticket sales than other films in the series. Many critics believe this was due to people getting tired of superhero movies and the film’s story feeling disconnected.

‘The Flash’ (2023)

Barry Allen tries to save his family by using his super speed to go back in time, but this unexpectedly creates a new future. He finds himself in a world where the villain General Zod is back, and there are no other superheroes around. Warner Bros. spent a lot of money on this movie, which included bringing back Michael Keaton as Batman. However, despite the large budget and promotion, the film wasn’t popular with viewers and lost the studio a significant amount of money.

‘Madame Web’ (2024)

Cassandra Webb gains the ability to foresee the future and dedicates herself to safeguarding three young women from a dangerous enemy. The movie tries to broaden the Spider-Man cinematic world with a tense, psychological thriller, emphasizing mental powers over action. However, both audiences and critics found the writing and editing weak, resulting in a disappointing box office debut. Ultimately, the film became one of the lowest-earning superhero movies of recent times for Sony Pictures.

‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ (2023)

As a big fan of the first Shazam! movie, I was really hoping the sequel would live up to the hype, but honestly, it didn’t quite hit the mark. The story follows Billy Batson and his foster family as they try to balance being teenagers with saving the world from the Daughters of Atlas, who are after a seriously dangerous weapon. They’re up against some powerful ancient gods, but the movie just felt…off. It didn’t have that same spark as the first one, and it didn’t seem to connect much with the rest of the DC universe. Sadly, that probably explains why it didn’t do as well in theaters – the reviews weren’t great, and people just didn’t seem as excited about it.

‘Morbius’ (2022)

Dr. Michael Morbius tries to find a cure for his uncommon blood illness, but accidentally turns himself into a vampire in the process. He battles with his newfound instincts while being pursued by his close friend, who also took the experimental treatment. Despite becoming a popular topic online, the movie didn’t perform well at the box office, and Sony couldn’t translate the online buzz into actual ticket sales, resulting in disappointing financial results.

‘Dark Phoenix’ (2019)

Jean Grey gains incredible psychic abilities after being exposed to a powerful cosmic energy, but this also makes her a threat to those around her. The X-Men are forced to confront a difficult choice: is saving one of their own worth risking the lives of everyone else? This film, the second try at bringing this well-known comic book story to the big screen, unfortunately signaled the end of the X-Men movie franchise under Fox. The production was troubled by constant reshoots and delays, ultimately resulting in financial losses for the studio.

‘Fantastic Four’ (2015)

Four unlikely heroes are unexpectedly transported to a strange and perilous universe, where they undergo dramatic physical transformations. They need to master these newfound powers and team up to protect Earth from a once-close ally who has become a threat. The film’s production was plagued by public conflicts between the director and the studio, ultimately leading to a critical and financial failure. This setback put the franchise on hold until Marvel Studios regained the rights.

‘Green Lantern’ (2011)

Hal Jordan receives a powerful alien ring that lets him create whatever he can envision. He joins an intergalactic police force and must battle a being called Parallax. Warner Bros. hoped this film would start a new movie franchise, but its extensive use of special effects was heavily criticized. The film barely made back its cost to produce, and any plans for a follow-up were quickly abandoned.

‘Jonah Hex’ (2010)

A hardened bounty hunter, himself a wanted man, receives an irresistible mission from the US military: find a terrorist planning a global catastrophe with a powerful new weapon. The film, starring Josh Brolin and Megan Fox, couldn’t quite decide if it wanted to be a gritty western or a supernatural action movie. Ultimately, it became a major box office failure, ranking among the biggest financial disappointments for any film based on comics.

‘R.I.P.D.’ (2013)

A police officer, recently killed in the line of duty, finds himself working with a team of undead cops at the Rest in Peace Department. While battling monstrous spirits that are secretly living among us, he also seeks to uncover the identity of his killer. Universal Pictures invested heavily in this action-comedy, hoping it would become a popular franchise, but unfortunately, the film flopped at the box office and resulted in significant financial losses for the studio.

‘Hellboy’ (2019)

A famous half-demon superhero travels to rural England to fight three enormous giants. He soon learns that the evil Blood Queen Nimue has returned from the dead, intent on wiping out humanity with her powerful, dark magic. This new, more violent and graphic version of the story tried to be different from earlier adaptations, but audiences didn’t respond well and the movie didn’t even earn back the money it cost to make.

‘The New Mutants’ (2020)

Five teenagers with newly discovered mutant powers are trapped in a secret facility, struggling to escape a troubled past and save their lives. The movie combines the excitement of superhero stories with the scares of horror, as the teens confront their deepest fears. After Disney bought Fox, they released the film during a challenging time for movie theaters. Due to multiple delays and limited marketing, it quickly disappeared from cinemas.

‘Catwoman’ (2004)

Patience Phillips is a quiet woman who is killed after uncovering a secret plot at a cosmetics company. Brought back to life by an Egyptian cat, she develops incredible reflexes and seeks revenge on those who murdered her. Halle Berry played the lead role in this film, which wasn’t connected to the Batman series. Unfortunately, the movie was a critical and commercial disaster, often appearing on lists of the worst films ever made.

‘Elektra’ (2005)

Elektra, a skilled martial artist resurrected after death, initially works as a hired assassin. However, she changes course and decides to protect the people she’s been hired to kill – a father and his daughter – from a dangerous group of supernatural killers called The Hand. While intended to build on the success of the ‘Daredevil’ film and Jennifer Garner’s star power, the movie wasn’t well-received and is often cited as a contributing factor to the struggles faced by female-led superhero films for many years afterward.

‘Punisher: War Zone’ (2008)

Frank Castle, also known as The Punisher, continues his relentless, solo fight against criminals, focusing his attention on a particularly ambitious mob boss. He targets a scarred gangster named Jigsaw, leading to a brutal showdown that wreaks havoc on the city. The movie strived to be a faithful and extremely violent adaptation of the comic book. While it later gained a dedicated fanbase, it initially performed poorly at the box office, becoming the lowest-earning Marvel-based film of its time.

‘The Spirit’ (2008)

I was really intrigued by this movie about a new police officer who dies and comes back as a spirit to protect Central City. He’s a shadowy figure, literally, using the darkness to fight crime. But his biggest challenge comes from a villain called the Octopus, who isn’t just about causing trouble – he’s on a strange quest to become immortal. It was directed by Frank Miller, and he was clearly going for that same striking, black-and-white visual style as ‘Sin City’. Sadly, it just didn’t click with audiences. The story was so weird and hard to follow that it didn’t do well in theaters, and it seemed to put a stop to Frank Miller directing movies for a while. It’s a shame, because the concept was so cool!

‘Steel’ (1997)

I always felt bad for the guy behind the Steel suit. He was a brilliant weapons designer, but devastated when his creations were used for harm. It drove him to become a vigilante, building incredible armor and wielding a massive sledgehammer to protect people. He wasn’t alone, thankfully – he found an amazing partner in an electronics whiz to help him expose the corrupt military figures who were illegally selling his tech on the streets. I remember seeing Shaquille O’Neal in the role – it was one of the first tries at bringing a DC Comics character to life, but honestly, it didn’t quite have the polish it needed, and it didn’t do very well at the box office. Still, I admired the concept and Shaq’s effort!

‘Supergirl’ (1984)

Kara Zor-El, also known as Supergirl, arrives on Earth searching for a powerful Kryptonian artifact called the Omegahedron. While attending an all-girls school as a disguise, she fights a villainous witch who intends to use the artifact to take over the world. Though connected to the ‘Superman’ movies, this series was criticized for its over-the-top style and weak visual effects. Ultimately, it wasn’t successful with audiences or critics, and the character wasn’t featured in new projects for many years.

‘Superman IV: The Quest for Peace’ (1987)

I was really excited when Superman decided to take on the huge problem of nuclear weapons, but things quickly went south. Lex Luthor, of course, had to be behind a new villain – Nuclear Man! He was created from a piece of Superman’s own DNA, which made the fight even more personal. Honestly, it was a shame the movie didn’t live up to the idea because of budget issues. They ended up reusing footage and the special effects weren’t great. It really hurt the film, and sadly, it was the end of the original Superman movies. It’s a bummer, because the premise had potential.

‘Howard the Duck’ (1986)

A cynical, human-like duck is unexpectedly transported from his home planet, Duckworld, and finds himself in Cleveland. There, he becomes friends with a rock star, and together they have to save Earth from an alien invasion. All the while, the duck is trying to figure out how to get back home. Produced by George Lucas, the movie is remembered for its unusual robotic effects and surprisingly mature themes. It’s also notable as one of Marvel’s first big box office disappointments.

2025-11-23 12:47