7 Times Marvel and DC Movies Opened in the Same Month

Despite countless brass from both comic book companies reassuring otherwise, the public remains enamored with the idea of a rivalry between Marvel and DC Comics. Considering both are arms of larger conglomerates with a firm iron grasp on pop culture, Marvel and DC don’t even have anything to squabble over. Still, internet denizens keep the flames of this “war” alive by constantly comparing box office stats, superpowers, or other factoids related to these labels all in the pursuit of finding a “winner” among America’s biggest comic book companies.

One interesting element about the relationship the two companies have with one another is the surprisingly numerous times Marvel and DC Comic film adaptations opened in the same month. In the 2010s, superhero movies became so ubiquitous that this was inevitable. There were only so many major weekends in a given year, after all. Inevitably, some Marvel and DC blockbusters were going to have to share the same month. Below, absorb seven instances of Marvel and DC adaptations going “head-to-head” in the same month.

X-Men: First Class and Green Lantern

In June 2011, sandwiched between two Marvel Cinematic Universe features (Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger) were a pair of superhero movies charting new directions for a stable of comic book characters. On June 3, 2011, X-Men: First Class hit theaters attempting to lend new life to those merry mutants. Two weeks later, Green Lantern premiered on June 17, with Warner Bros. hoping this production would be the studio’s equivalent to Iron Man in launching a new cinematic universe. First Class proved lucrative enough to spawn a trio of sequels. As for Green Lantern, we all know what happened there.

The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises

July 2012 belonged to two movies: The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises. The former title launched over the 4th of July weekend that served Spider-Man 2 so well back in 2004. The Dark Knight Rises, meanwhile, debuted in late July, mimicking The Dark Knight’s release pattern. The Dark Knight Rises was, without question, the box office victor of this month, but The Amazing Spider-Man’s $260 million domestic haul wasn’t too shabby on its own terms.

Thor: Ragnarok and Justice League

It made some sense previously to launch Marvel and DC movies in the same month during the summertime. After all, every day is Saturday for folks under 18 in June and July, so there’s plenty of room for two superhero films to thrive. November, though, only has a single holiday week to its name. There’s a lot less room for two films targeting similar demos to flourish. Yet in November 2017, Thor: Ragnarok (opening November 3) and Justice League (opening November 17) both premiered within the same three week span. Ragnarok easily won this box office duel, with Justice League actually losing money in its worldwide box office run.

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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Aquaman

Unlike November, December has way more room for multiple big movies to breathe. Just look at Avatar and Sherlock Holmes both excelling at the box office over December 2009’s final two weekends. Thus, it’s no surprise both Sony/Columbia Pictures and Warner Bros. seized on December 2018 as an optimal place to launch Marvel and DC adaptations, respectively. The family-friendly Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse debuted on December 14, while one week later Aquaman hit theaters. Both were moneymakers, but Aquaman surpassed all possible expectations to crack $1+ billion worldwide.

Shazam! and Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame set so many box office records in April 2019 that it’s easy to forget it wasn’t the only superhero movie opening this month. Over April 2019’s first weekend, the low-key family comedy Shazam! hit theaters. The sharp gulf in scope between the two projects ensured they could survive theatrically without hurting the other. Endgame was a monster hit that temporarily became the biggest movie in history at the worldwide box office. However, Shazam! didn’t do too shabby itself.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and The Flash

In June 2023, history repeated itself as a live-action DC Extended Universe movie debuted in the same month as a Spider-Verse installment. This time, June 2 saw Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse rocking movie theaters before The Flash sped into multiplexes two weekends later. This time, Spider-Verse came out on top in the showdown, with Across the Spider-Verse becoming one of the biggest animated movies ever domestically. The Flash, meanwhile, came in tremendously under expectations and couldn’t even clear $110 million domestically. This wasn’t because of Spider-Verse taking away its audience. Clearly, Marvel and DC films can co-exist in the same month. The Flash just didn’t resonate with audiences.

Joker: Folie a Deux and Venom: The Last Dance

In October 2024, sequels to two October box office heavyweights returned to the month. Joker: Folie a Deux kicked October 2024 off five years after the first Joker set an October opening weekend record. Meanwhile, October 2024 closed with Venom: The Last Dance followed its two predecessors that each scored $200+ million domestic hauls debuting in early October. Neither sequel, though, hit the box office heights of their respective predecessors.

The Last Dance at least saved some face overseas even with a domestic haul that didn’t hit $145 million. Joker: Folie a Deux, meanwhile, outright cratered at the box office with a lifetime domestic haul only $19 million more than the first Joker’s opening day! Clearly, both of these tentpoles were suffering from greater problems than opening in the same month as a competing comic book adaptation.