5 Huge DC Movie Flops NOBODY Saw Coming

Superhero movies have gotten bigger than ever over the past two decades, yet they aren’t immune to box office flops. Even the most successful franchises in the genre, like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, have had their fair share of bombs in the past few years. Unfortunately, movies based on DC Comics properties have a pretty inconsistent history at the worldwide box office. The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Joker, and Aquaman all grossed more than $1 billion, while films like Wonder Woman, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and The Batman all became major hits as well.

On the other side, DC has suffered through some big time bombs at the box office. To be fair, some of these flops were actually easy to telegraph. The Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey, and Wonder Woman 1984 all came out during the pandemic, which impacted box office numbers. Meanwhile, Blue Beetle, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and Shazam: Fury of the Gods came out when everyone knew the DCEU was basically done, hurting interest. There’s also 2026’s Supergirl, which was yet another unfortunate case of a female-led superhero film being shunned commercially. However, there are some DC flops that were totally unexpected.

5) Black Adam

Shortly before James Gunn was announced as the head of DC, which basically marked the end of the DCEU, Black Adam hit theaters. It was believed that this could be the shot in the arm that DC needed since it was led by Dwayne Johnson, who is often brought in to boost a franchise’s box office numbers. He had done so with Fast & Furious and Jumanji, and after not wanting to play second fiddle in Shazam!, he was given his own DC project.

Alas, 2022’s Black Adam ended up feeling like a vanity project for Johnson more than something a DC fan should see. The $393 million box office intake sounds decent, but with a budget of $260 million, without taking marketing into account, Black Adam became a flop. It didn’t help that next to nothing about the movie felt like something you needed to see. Reviews were lackluster, and the entire thing felt like a letdown that people shouldn’t invest in.

4) Justice League

When 2017’s Justice League hit theaters, the DCEU was still trying to firmly establish itself. Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice may not have been the best films starring those characters, but they did well commercially and set the stage for this huge team-up movie. Justice League was meant to be DC’s answer to The Avengers, which became the MCU’s first movie to surpass $1 billion. Justice League ultimately didn’t get anywhere near that number.

On a budget of over $300 million, the film raked in $661 million, which didn’t even reach the reported break-even point, believed to be around $700 million. Justice League was expected to be a hit, yet was hurt by lame reviews, bad news about production issues, and the highly publicized exit of director Zack Snyder. His vision eventually got released in 2021 and was a significant improvement, though that didn’t change the original being a flop.

3) Superman Returns

The 2000s brought with it a superhero movie renaissance thanks to Spider-Man, X-Men, and Batman Begins. A year after Batman Begins, DC looked to bring a solo Superman movie to the big screen for the first time since Christopher Reeve with Superman Returns. Brandon Routh took over the titular role, yet instead of a new continuity, this acted as a sequel to Superman and Superman II, which was confusing for some fans and also handcuffed some of their storytelling possibilities.

2006’s Superman Returns saw our hero return to Earth after a few years away, only to learn that Lois Lane has moved on without him, and that he must stop Lex Luthor once again. Unfortunately, many people found this film to be dull and it was criticized for its screenplay and for being overly long. The $391 million box office intake was a huge disappointment, especially on a budget of over $220 million. It did poorly enough to cancel the planned sequel and Superman didn’t get another movie until 2013.

2) The Flash

Although the DCEU was on its deathbed by 2023, The Flash felt like it was going to be an outlier. The people behind the movie, including director Andy Muschietti, hyped it as an incredible event. When you consider that The Flash was a highlight of Zack Snyder’s Justice League a couple of years prior, that the multiverse was a popular concept at the time, and that Michael Keaton was returning as Batman, The Flash had all the makings of a hit.

Alas, the movie was hurt by a common trend for DC flops, which was production issues. The ending was changed a few times, which led to a sloppy third act, and the visual effects looked like something from a 2001 video game. It didn’t help that star Ezra Miller was at the center of several major controversial legal issues, from harassment to grooming to strangulation. The end result was a paltry $271 million intake on a budget of around $220 million.

1) Joker: Folie à Deux

In 2019, Joker became a remarkable blockbuster. Made for just around $70 million and with an R rating, the film managed to surpass all expectations and gross over $1 billion. It was initially envisioned as a one-off film, but that level of success meant DC badly wanted more. It finally happened in 2024 with Joker: Folie à Deux, which brought back Joaquin Phoenix as the titular character and introduced Lady Gaga’s take on Harley Quinn.

Even with the knowledge that the film was a musical (which many saw as a bizarre choice), it had all the makings of another hit. Nothing could’ve been further from the truth, though, as the film grossed $208 million on a $200 million budget. The first installment was praised and earned Phoenix an Oscar, yet this sequel was ripped apart by critics and won some Golden Raspberries. It’s hard to imagine a DC sequel that had a bigger drop-off from its acclaimed first installment.

Were you surprised by these DC flops? Which bomb was the most surprising? Let us know in the comments!

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