Superhero films aren’t always the commercial hits studios want them to be, especially when it comes to theDC Universe. While there have been some amazingadaptations of DC Comics for film, nearly just as many films under the company’s banner have bombed at the box office. Some of these failures are incredibly deserving, but within DC’s least-commercially viable films rest some truly amazing uses of superhero narratives.
Historically, DC’s films have failed for a variety of reasons.Sometimes, conditions like the COVID-19 pandemic or simplesuperhero fatiguecan be deadly for a given entry’s financial success.Other times, interest simply isn’t there for films revolving around niche characters, or sequels for films with only a lukewarm critical reception. Outside of concepts or market conditions, the simple truth is thatDC’s movies sometimes failbecause they’re just that badly made.
10 Highest Grossing DC Movies Of All Time
There is a long and rich history of movies based on DC Comics, but an exceptional few projects have reached fantastic box-office milestones.
10Steel
$1.7 million
Steelisn’t typically well-remembered in the broader scope of DC films, and for good reason.On a budget of 16 million dollars,Steelmade back only a paltry 1.7 million, making it easily the worst-performing DC Comics movie of all time. Going back over the bottom ten, it’s also easily the worst quality-wise, more than deserving of its pitiful box office take for an astounding variety of reasons.
Some athletes are able to effortlessly bridge the gap between professional sports and acting, but O’Neal certainly wasn’t one of them, leavingSteelas little more than a hollow shell constructed around his likeness.
John Henry Irons isn’t the most popular or well-known DC character to begin with, making it baffling that Steel got a major comic book movie before the likes of Wonder Woman or Green Lantern.On top of that, simply nothing about the film works, from the forgettable plot to the cheap-looking costumes and sets to Shaquille O’Neal’s abysmal, nervous, unconvincing performance as the titular metallic hero.Some athletes are able to effortlessly bridgethe gap between professional sports and acting, but O’Neal certainly wasn’t one of them, leavingSteelas little more than a hollow shell constructed around his likeness.
9Catwoman
$40 million
As far as DC movie flops go,Catwomanis far from the worst offender, nearly managing to make back its 100 million dollar budget through international ticket sales. Critically, the Halle Berry star vehicle fared even worse, unfortunately, quickly going down in infamy as one of the worst superhero movies ever made. Upon revisiting the film, it’s easy to see why it struggled to find purchase in the box office.
The film makes the bold decision to re-write everything about Catwoman’s story from scratch, not even keeping her real name from the comics. Instead,Halle Berry’s Catwoman is a supernatural, undead jewel thief with literal feline superpowers, speaking almost entirely in cheesy cat puns.Not even Halle Berry’s star power could save the film from its own idiotic villain plot, cringe-worthy action setpieces, ham-fisted romance, or awkward editing. At least there’s a decent degree of ironic enjoyment to be wrung out ofCatwoman’s unbelievable choices.
Catwoman
Cast
A cosmetics industry employee is murdered after discovering a dangerous secret about an anti-ageing product. However, an Egyptian cat saves her, giving her the power of speed and the senses of an agile feline.
8Superman IV: The Quest For Peace
$15 million
Actually managing to break even and then some before considering advertising,Superman IV: The Quest for Peaceis actually some of the best of the worst when it comes to DC’s worst cinematic flops. However, there’s a reason the infamous fourth installment in the original Christopher ReeveSupermanquadrilogy had such a terrible theatrical take compared to its siblings. A heartbreakingly pitiful final outing for the beloved Superman actor,Superman IV: The Quest for Peacecertainly deserves its box office woes.
Once again, the story takes a deviation far out of left field from the comics, pitting Superman against the original villain Nuclear Man as its central antagonist.Nuclear Man simply doesn’t work as a compelling foe, and between the heightened cheesiness, nonsensical plot, and overbearing message of world peace via nuclear disarmament, there’s little left to appreciate about this contender forthe worst Superman film.Still, at leastSuperman IV: The Quest for Peacedoes still feature Reeve’s iconic take on the character, earning it some small graces.
7Supergirl
$14 million
Set within the same universe as Christopher Reeve’sSupermanmovies, the seldom-remembered 1984 spin-offSupergirlhas a box office haul that reflects its nonexistent pop culture impact.Ushering in a mere 14 million dollars,Supergirlwas far from the pop culture sensation implied by its lofty predecessor.This failure is largely deserved considering what few audiences who did get out of bed forSupergirlwere treated with.
Even for a Superman-adjacent film of the era, the plot ofSupergirlis utterly nonsensical, with entirely original concepts like witches, hidden cities, and unheard of Kryptonian artifacts bombarding the viewer right out of the gate. After it’s finished expositing,Supergirlcan only offer the sub-par, Razzie-nominated performances of Faye Dunaway and Peter O’Toole to entertain onlookers,making for a decidedly awkward cinematic experience. At leastSupergirldoes contain a few interesting action setpieces with well-done SFX for the time, not to mention the novelty of being the sole Supergirl movie available at the time of writing.
6Jonah Hex
$10.5 million
As a character, Jonah Hex sits at an odd place in DC canon, having lived, died, and had his adventures in the universe past at a far remove from most of the franchise’s most famous heroes.That makes it all the stranger that he was able to nab a movie headline with a woefully underseen Western that took back a scathing 10.5 million dollars from a 40 million dollar budget.What few moviegoers were willing to take a chance onJonah Hexwere greeted with a puzzling film that justifies its meager profit margins.
Jonah Hexhas some interesting ideas, with Josh Brolin doing an awkward Clint Eastwood imitation through some interesting-looking makeup, but can’t stay on one track to save its life. The narrative is one long series of fetch quests that get in the way of each other, making it impossible to settle in to the poorly realized period world.While there are some individual concepts of the film that sound interesting on paper, the film fails as not only one of the worst DC Comic adaptations, but one of theworst Westerns of the 2010s.
5Shazam! Fury Of The Gods
$134 million
The firstShazam!was a charming, fun, magical superhero story starring Zachary Levi accurately portraying the mind of a 14-year-old boy.Because of the lukewarm acclaim the film was able to muster, it’s not altogether a huge surprise that the follow-up feature wasn’t a massive hit, barely edging over its 125 million dollar budget to likely not recoup advertising costs.This time around, the entire “Shazamily” gets to stick around, expanding the focus of Shazam’s solo movie to be more of a team-up story.
The villain is also a noticeable step-down from the previous film’s Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, diluting yet another one ofShazam!’s best aspects.
However, in its efforts to expand the breadth of its hero cast,Shazam! Fury of the Godsloses some critical focus, with no single character being given enough screen time to be truly captivating.The villain is also a noticeable step-down from the previous film’s Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, diluting yet another one ofShazam!’s best aspects. Essentially being a tonal re-tread of the first film but noticeably worse in a few key areas,Shazam! Fury of the Godsis a tiring recitation whose box office numbers accurately indicate its quality.
4Wonder Woman 1984
$196 million
One ofthe DCEU’s many stumbling blocks,Wonder Woman 1984was a bitter dissapointment coming hot off the heels of Gal Gadot’s highly-praised solo comic book film debut.Still technically a prequel in DCEU canon, this time around, Wonder Woman trapses through the 80s in the search for a way to revive her former lover, Steve Trevor, while contending with new villains Cheetah and Maxwell Lord. On a budget of 200 million dollars,Wonder Woman 1984just barely failed to break even.
Compared to earlier entries on this list,Wonder Woman 1984is at least competently conceived, with a plot that makes sense on-paper and great characters for Wonder Woman to encounter and bounce off of in her search to prolong the past through the power of wishes. But like many superhero sequels,Wonder Woman 1984over-indulges with multiple villains, the strange body-hijacking implications of Steve Trevor’s resurrection, and a decided over-reliance on 80s nostalgia. Though it largely misses the mark, the Wonder Woman sequel is perhaps not as bad as its box office condemnation might imply.
3Teen Titans GO! To The Movies
$52 million
Despite being on the lower-end of DC comic book movie earners,Teen Titans GO! To the Movieswas actually something of a financial success.Taking the same lean animation art style of theTeen Titans GO!TV series and transplanting it to the big screen, the feature cost a mere 10 million dollars to make, earning back five times that in a modestly lucrative release. For what it is,Teen Titans GO! To the Moviesis certainly a success.
Taking place within the same “canon” of the TV show, as much as it can be said to have one,Teen Titans GO! To the Moviessees the titular superhero group getting distracted on a trip to Hollywood while trying to take down the villainous Slade. Chock-full of meta-contextual jokes and clever references to the DC universe at large, the film adapts the humor that makes the TV show work to a feature-length presentation with flying colors. Certainly nothing groundbreaking or cerebral,Teen Titans GO! To the Moviesat least understands and excels in its place as a low-brow comedy.
2Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
$5.6 million
For every animated movie that appeals to the lowest common denominator, likeTeen Titans GO! To the Movies,there’s a brilliant cerebral film that strikes a chord with children and adults alike, such asBatman: Mask of the Phantasm.A continuation of the critically-belovedBatman: The Animated Series,the special feature exists within the same universe while filling out Batman’s backstory,linking it to a present-day vigilante framing Batman for murder.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasmfell just short of making its budget back on a theatrical release.
As essentially an extended, extra lovingly-animated episode ofBatman: The Animated Series,the film transports all the tender care of the original showrunners to the big screen.From the poignant narrative featuring one ofBatman’s best love interestsyet to the chilling art style that makes the looming Phantasm’s mask feel 50 feet wide,Batman: Mask of the Phantasmis an astonishing success in nearly every movie metric. It’s a bitter shame that the film’s craft wasn’t able to be appreciated by audiences of the time.
1The Suicide Squad
$167 million
Even if it was a smash-hit on streaming, James Gunn’sThe Suicide Squadstill suffered from coming out in theaters hot on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time in which many audiences were still hesitant to risk exposure by returning to the movies.Nevertheless, it’s still towards the top of DC’s worst commercial failures, carried by the sheer quality of its construction. A daring R-rated ensemble film starring famous actors as obscure DC villains,The Suicide Squadhas almost no right to be as good as it is.
Time and time again, James Gunn has proven how well he understands what makes an ensemble cast click. Seeing him apply his craft to the bloody world of the Suicide Squad, in which life is cheap and the most evil and bizarre of DC’s creations are capable of making appearances, is a true joy that can’t be represented by any box office number. Essentially a thesis statement for the success of James Gunn’s upcomingDC Universe, it’s unfair, if not surprising, thatThe Suicide Squaddidn’t do better in theaters.
