However you measure it, the opening weekend for DC Studios’ Supergirl is catastrophic for DC Studios. Directed by Craig Gillespie, the space adventure debuted to a grim $68 million at the worldwide box office against a reported production budget hovering around $175 million. These initial ticket sales all but guarantee a massive write-down for the studio, as it’s extremely rare for a movie to increase its weekly gains after the first weekend. Furthermore, audience reception metrics indicate a disconnect with casual moviegoers, as the film received a concerning B- CinemaScore that will likely translate to bad word of mouth and lead to a probable steep drop-off in the coming weeks.
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The future is definitely not looking hopeful for Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock). The situation becomes even more dire when realizing that some of the biggest comic book flops of recent memory still managed to haul more box office money in the first weekend than Supergirl did, before they became infamous bombs.
5) Morbius
After the success of Venom, Sony Pictures attempted to expand its Spider-Man spin-off universe with Daniel Espinosa’s Morbius, resulting in a critical and commercial failure that’s still mocked these days. The production was continuously delayed during the pandemic, giving audiences plenty of time to build skepticism before it arrived. In addition, viewers immediately rejected the disjointed narrative and outdated visual effects upon release, destroying any chance for profitability.
However, the vampire-themed origin story centered on Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) still opened to $84 million worldwide before finishing its disastrous run with a final global total of just $167.5 million, not enough to cover its $80 million production budget and heavy marketing costs. The feature became so infamous for its poor quality that fans even organized a fake online mobilization to ask Morbius to return to theaters, which Sony mistook as a sincere call from audiences. As a result, the studio re-released the movie to bomb even harder than the first time, adding almost nothing to its worldwide tally.
4) The Marvels
After the unprecedented success of Captain Marvel, Marvel Studios attempted to recapture lightning in a bottle with Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels, a cosmic crossover uniting Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani. Instead, the sequel delivered the MCU’s first unambiguous box office bomb. Plagued by reports of a troubled post-production and an inability to shoot on location due to Larson’s busy schedule, the feature arrived in theaters with a genuine sense of dread hanging over it. Audiences immediately sensed the stitched-together nature of the narrative, and the poor word of mouth reflected a franchise that suddenly seemed directionless to casual fans.
The Marvels opened to $110 million worldwide before collapsing in historic fashion with a final global haul of just $206 million, a disastrous result against a reported $270 million production budget that didn’t include lavish marketing costs. The performance was so catastrophic that Disney made the unprecedented decision to stop reporting the film’s daily box office numbers, essentially waving the white flag while the movie was still playing in theaters.
3) The Flash
Warner Bros. spent over a year publicly declaring that The Flash was one of the greatest superhero movies ever made, a marketing strategy that created a level of hype the finished product could never outrun. Directed by Andy Muschietti, the multiverse-spanning spectacle was delayed multiple times due to the pandemic, extensive reshoots, and off-screen controversies involving star Ezra Miller that dominated the news cycle for months. Audiences arrived skeptical and left disappointed, rejecting the film’s uncanny visual effects and a third act that many described as incomprehensible.
Despite featuring the return of Michael Keaton’s Batman, The Flash opened to $130 million worldwide before suffering a catastrophic second weekend drop that effectively ended its theatrical prospects overnight. The Flash eventually sputtered to a final global total of $271 million against a production budget hovering around $200 million, not enough to offset a massive marketing spend that reportedly exceeded $100 million. The movie was supposed to reset the entire DC universe, but instead became the final nail in the coffin for the old regime.
2) Black Adam
Dwayne Johnson relentlessly campaigned for Black Adam, repeatedly promising audiences that the hierarchy of power in the DC universe was about to change. The anti-hero origin story, directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, arrived after years of development limbo and a budget that ballooned far beyond its initial projections thanks to extensive reshoots and costly visual effects. Johnson’s muscular global appeal did manage to generate genuine curiosity, and the movie opened to $140 million worldwide, a figure that briefly suggested the Rock’s star power might compensate for the film’s creative shortcomings.
However, audiences quickly realized that Black Adam was a visually monotonous slog, and repeat business evaporated. The movie finished its theatrical run with a global tally of $393 million, which sounds impressive until you consider the reported production budget sat north of $260 million. When factoring in marketing, the film fell short by a wide margin, resulting in an estimated net loss of $50 to $100 million for the studio.
1) Dark Phoenix
The X-Men franchise had already botched the “Dark Phoenix” storyline once with Brett Ratner’s X-Men: The Last Stand, but Fox decided to try again with Simon Kinberg’s Dark Phoenix, a decision that would ultimately help sink the entire mutant saga. The production was plagued by problems from the start, including a third act that had to be completely reshot because it allegedly too closely resembled another superhero movie arriving around the same time. Unsurprisingly, audiences could feel the patchwork editing in every scene, and the lack of enthusiasm from the cast during the press tour was palpable.
The X-Men brand name and the promise of seeing Sophie Turner’s Jean Grey embrace her cosmic alter ego pushed Dark Phoenix to a $140 million worldwide opening weekend. Then, the movie received a B- CinemaScore, word of mouth turned radioactive, and the feature plummeted week after week until it limped to a final global gross of just $252 million against a $200 million production budget. The losses were staggering, giving the Fox X-Men franchise a bitter farewell in theaters before the Disney acquisition — which would only get sour with the release of The New Mutants.
Which notorious comic book movie bomb do you think had the most disappointing overall theatrical run? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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Image Courtesy of Marvel Studios -
Image Courtesy of Marvel
