DC Is In The Midst Of One Of The Biggest Box Office Bad Streaks Ever

It's no secret that Warner Bros. has had a tough time getting a hot streak going when it comes to its DC projects. Even dating back to "Man of Steel" in 2013, which was supposed to start a DC cinematic universe that could rival Marvel's, things never held steady for too long without a sizable bump in the road. It all came to a head when 2017's "Justice League" became a box office disaster that doomed the DC Extended Universe as we knew it.

But WB and DC have had years to try to turn things around, with James Gunn and Peter Safran brought in to head up DC Studios several years ago, ushering in a bold reboot of the entire cinematic slate. Gunn's "Superman" soared at the box office in 2025, making $618 million worldwide to become the year's biggest comic book movie. But that was one bright moment in what has largely been a seat of disappointments for the brand. Indeed, DC has suffered one of the worst box office bad streaks mainstream Hollywood has ever seen.

"Supergirl" recently bombed at the box office, with things going from bad to worse after its opening weekend. It's now likely going to make less than $200 million worldwide on a reported $170 million budget. That doesn't mean that the new DCU is totally boned, but this is unfortunately closer to the rule for DC in the 2020s, with "Superman" serving as the exception. The other exception is 2022's "The Batman," as its box office numbers pointed to a potentially promising future for DC with $772 million worldwide to its name.

The past several years have not been bright, though. Rather, it's been a string of crushing disappointments, with brief moments of hope sprinkled in amidst the ruble of expensive failures.

Warner Bros.' DC movies have made around $3.8 billion at the global box office against combined budgets of around $2.2 billion from 13 movies since 2020. Granted, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down movie theaters in 2020, and many of these movies suffered as a result, which needs to be taken into account.

For all of its own struggles, however, the Marvel Cinematic Universe took in close to $9.9 billion against combined budgets estimated to be in the $2.7 billion range across 14 movies during that same period. This doesn't include Sony's "Spider-Man" spin-offs such as "Madame Web" or "Morbius," but even with those factored in, Marvel would still come out looking like the much better investment.

This isn't about lowering one to raise the other; it's more to illustrate that as bad as the pandemic era has been for superheroes in some respects, DC has had it far, far worse. Recall that "Birds of Prey" met a grim fate at the box office, taking in just $205 million worldwide despite very positive reviews. Its run was cut short by the pandemic. Fortunately, its relatively modest $82 million budget helped. The same can't be said for much of the rest of DC's slate.

"Wonder Woman 1984" ($169 million worldwide/$200 million budget) and "The Suicide Squad" ($168 million worldwide/$185 million budget) were both destroyed by the pandemic. "The Batman" was a hit in 2022, but "Black Adam" failed to cross the $400 million mark globally on a budget well north of $200 million that same year despite years of exhaustive efforts by The Rock to get it made. It only gets worse from there, as 2023's "The Flash" was a disaster of super-heroic proportions.

Despite immense pre-release hype, "The Flash" flamed out with just $271 million worldwide on a budget of at least $200 million. DC's cinematic slate was the biggest box office disappointment of 2023, with all of its films either bombing or greatly disappointing that year. Specifically, "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" ($134 million worldwide/$125 million budget), "Blue Beetle" ($130 million worldwide/$120 million budget), and "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" ($440 million worldwide/$205 million budget) each fell way short of expectations.

Even something as seemingly safe as the animated "DC League of Super-Pets" failed to truly deliver, taking in just $207 million worldwide on a budget of $90 million. The worst came in 2024 when "Joker: Folie à Deux" collapsed with a downright disastrous $207 million worldwide on a $200 million budget. Mind you, the first "Joker" was a $1 billion box office sensation in 2019 on a budget of less than $60 million. These movies have failed and failed big. R-rated, family-friendly, it doesn't matter.

So, why would Warner Bros. keep investing in these films? Well, because when they work, they make a lot of money. Marvel may have misfires like "Thunderbolts*," but its occasionally has a gargantuan hit like "Deadpool & Wolverine." WB knows what's possible. It's just a matter of whether or not it can right the ship.

That's why James Gunn and Peter Safran were brought in. That said, superhero movies are struggling at the box office, broadly speaking. The heyday of the 2010s when every superhero film was making money is behind us. That's something DC Studios is going to have to take into account going forward. But this terrible streak has to end sooner rather than later, because this is currently very bad for business.