Big Budget Marvel and DC Movies That Flopped

Both Marvel and DC are known for their immense variety of films. The films are filled with big stars, great storylines and amazing VFX special effects. However, with the vast number of films released under their banners, there are bound to be some that ultimately miss the mark. Here are some of the big budget Marvel and DC movies that flopped.

Green Lantern (2011)

When you think of superhero movies that flopped at the box office, ‘Green Lantern’ (2011) is almost always the first thought. Despite a star-studded cast of Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, the film failed to make its mark. The plot follows Hal Jordan, a man from an alien planet whose powers come from a ring. 

‘Green Lantern’ (2011) was directed by Martin Campbell. With screenwriters like Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, Marc Guggenheim and Michael Goldenberg, the film’s plot was neither memorable nor interesting. It was released in theatres worldwide in 2011 with a production budget of $200 million. The film was only able to make a mere $19 million over its budget during its theatrical run. 

Fantastic Four (2015)

As a reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise, this film took a quite different approach to the four-hero team. Rather than focusing on their adventures, the film gives an origin to the Fantastic Four, where they travel to a parallel universe and gain powers as a result of the genetic changes their bodies go through during and after this trip. 

The screenplay for this reboot was written by Jeremy Slater, Simon Kinberg and Josh Trank. Trank was also the director of this film. The cast was filled with some well-known actors like, Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara and Jamie Bell. Despite all of this and a budget of $120 million, the film could not make an impact at the box office. 

Catwoman (2004) 

In 2004, Warner Bros. released the film ‘Catwoman’ starring Halle Berry in the titular role. After she falls into a dangerous situation by accident, Patience Phillips takes on the alias of the vigilante Catwoman and begins serving justice only to those who deserve it. 

This film flopped at the box office epically. With the director Pitof and John Brancato, Michael Ferris and John Rogers as writers, this film had nothing to save it from the vicious critics and audience response it received. The film had a budget of a $100 million and was unsuccessful in even earning that back at the box office. 

The Wolverine (2013)

‘The Wolverine’ (2013) is the sophomore film in the Wolverine trilogy focusing on the character of Logan. This film falls into the X-Men Universe but focuses solely on Logan and how he has been dealing with being Wolverine and the pain of losing Jean Grey. 

The director for this film was James Mangold. The screenplay was written by Mark Bomback and Scott Frank. The budget for this film was somewhere around $130 million though it was still not the greatest hit at the box office. The film cast Hugh Jackman in the role of the mutant Logan and while that did not help the film in gaining profits, Logan became a much cherished character among fans.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

‘Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer’ is the sequel to the preceding film, ‘Fantastic Four’ (2005). This film focuses on the group of superheroes that calls themselves the Fantastic Four, comprising of Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch and The Thing as they face off against a new, mysterious enemy. 

The film was directed by Tim Story with a screenplay by Don Payne and Mike Frost. Chris Evans, Josh Gruffudd, Jessica Alba and Michel Chiklis featured in the major roles. The film was made with a budget of almost $130 million but was unable to make a good profit at the box office. The release date for this film was June 15, 2007. 

Morbius (2022)

Morbius (2022) is a film based on one of the characters from Marvel Comics. It tells the story of a man named Michael Morbius, who is suffering from a rare blood illness and as a doctor, is working on finding a cure. Morbius captures some vampire bats and uses them in the cure he creates. While the cure does work, it turns Morbius into a vampire, and he has to deal with the consequences. 

 Morbius (2022) was first released on March 10, 2022, in theatres worldwide under Sony Pictures and Marvel. The film was directed by Daniel Espinosa with Matt Sazama and Burl Sharpless working on the screenplay. The cast includes Jared Leto, Matt Smith and Adria Arjona with others. The film had a budget of $75 million and was only able to make an insignificant amount of profit with $163.9 million at the box office. This movie received much criticism from critics and was ridiculed on the internet to a great extent. The film was re-released in theatres in June 2022 due to the ironic online buzz that was created around it, and made only a dismal $300,000, until it was pulled out. 

Justice League (2017)

Justice League (2017) is one of the most controversial comic book adaptations. Fans were enraged when the film was released without the director Zack Snyder’s input in the end. It is a crossover team movie featuring big names like Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, The Cyborg and the Flash. 

The film was directed by Zack Snyder, though he did not have a part in the final cut of the film. The screenplay was written by Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon. The cast was full of icons like Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher and Jason Mamoa. Despite being one of the most anticipated films with a whopping budget of $300 million, it was a failure at the box office 

Eternals (2021)

The Eternals is a film focusing on the ancient group of cosmic beings who were sent to Earth in order to protect humanity from the monsters known as the Deviants, while also helping humanity develop and prosper without interfering with the natural course of history. 

The film was directed by Academy Award-winning director Chloé Zhao. The screenplay for this film was written by Ryan Firpo, Kaz Firpo, Patrick Burleigh and Chloé Zhao, herself. The film was announced to be in production in 2018, by the Marvel President, Kevin Fiege and finally saw theatrical release in 2021. The film features a star-studded cast with actors like Angelina Jolie, Penelope Cruz, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden and Kumail Najiani to name a few. While the film had a budget of $200 million,  unfortunately, it was able to make only twice as much as that at the box office. The reviews for this movie from critics and audiences alike were mixed.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of The Ten Rings (2021)

‘Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings’ (2021) is a film surrounding Shang-Chi whose mother was from the mythical village of Ta Lo with their own history and artefacts with immense powers. Hidden under this village, however, is an ancient monster who wants to rein destruction upon the world. We follow Shang-Chi as he comes to terms with his heritage and embraces the ancient Ten Rings to harness their powers. 

The film was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and with the screenplay by Dave Callaham, Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Lanham. Shang-Chi was released in 2021, with the cast filled with Simu Liu in his first-ever Marvel film, along with Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang and the legendary Michelle Yeoh. The film had a great budget of $200 million but could not perform very well at the box office. 

The Suicide Squad (2021)

‘The Suicide Squad’ is based on the storyline of DC Comics which focuses on the supervillains of the DC Universe. Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, and Peacemaker are some of the villains in the film, out of which only Harley Quinn was featured in the previous movies. 

‘The Suicide Squad’ (2021) in a way was a sequel to the previous film, but it followed an entirely different storyline. The film was written and directed by James Gunn, who has worked on movies like the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ series. With a budget of $185 million, the film was still unable to break even.

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