Superhero films aren’t always the commercial hits studios want them to be, especially when it comes to the DC Universe. While there have been some amazing adaptations 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 simple superhero fatigue can 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 that DC’s movies sometimes fail because they’re just that badly made.
Related 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.
10 Steel
$1.7 million
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Steel isn’t typically well-remembered in the broader scope of DC films, and for good reason. On a budget of 16 million dollars, Steel made 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, leaving
Steel
as 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 bridge the gap between professional sports and acting, but O’Neal certainly wasn’t one of them, leaving Steel as little more than a hollow shell constructed around his likeness.
Steel (1997) 0
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Director Kenneth Johnson Release Date August 15, 1997 Cast Shaquille O’Neal , Annabeth Gish , Richard Roundtree , Judd Nelson Runtime 97 Minutes
9 Catwoman
$40 million
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As far as DC movie flops go, Catwoman is 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 of Catwoman‘s unbelievable choices.
catwoman 0
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PG-13 Director Pitof Release Date July 22, 2004 Cast Halle Berry , Benjamin Bratt , Sharon Stone , Lambert Wilson , Frances Conroy , Alex Borstein Runtime 104 minutes
8 Superman IV: The Quest For Peace
$15 million
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Actually managing to break even and then some before considering advertising, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is 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 Reeve Superman quadrilogy 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 Peace certainly 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 for the worst Superman film. Still, at least Superman IV: The Quest for Peace does still feature Reeve’s iconic take on the character, earning it some small graces.
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace 0
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PG
Director Sidney J. Furie Release Date July 24, 1987 Cast Christopher Reeve , Gene Hackman , Jackie Cooper , Marc McClure , Jon Cryer , Margot Kidder Runtime 90 minutes
7 Supergirl
$14 million
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Set within the same universe as Christopher Reeve’s Superman movies, the seldom-remembered 1984 spin-off Supergirl has a box office haul that reflects its nonexistent pop culture impact. Ushering in a mere 14 million dollars, Supergirl was 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 for Supergirl were treated with.
Even for a Superman-adjacent film of the era, the plot of Supergirl is 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, Supergirl can 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 least Supergirl does 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.
Supergirl (1984) 0
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PG
Director Jeannot Szwarc Release Date November 21, 1984 Writers David Odell Cast Helen Slater , Peter O’Toole , Faye Dunaway , Mia Farrow , Brenda Vaccaro , Marc McClure , Peter Cook , Simon Ward Runtime 124 Minutes
6 Jonah Hex
$10.5 million
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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 on Jonah Hex were greeted with a puzzling film that justifies its meager profit margins.
Jonah Hex has 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 the worst Westerns of the 2010s.
Jonah Hex 
2.0 0
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PG-13
Director Jimmy Hayward Release Date June 17, 2010 Cast Josh Brolin , Megan Fox , Jimmy Hayward Runtime 81minutes
5 Shazam! Fury Of The Gods
$134 million
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The first Shazam! 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 of
Shazam!’
s best aspects.
However, in its efforts to expand the breadth of its hero cast, Shazam! Fury of the Gods loses 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 of Shazam!’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 Gods is a tiring recitation whose box office numbers accurately indicate its quality.
Shazam! The Fury of the Gods 3.0 5
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PG-13
Director David F. Sandberg Release Date March 17, 2023 Writers Chris Morgan , Henry Gayden Runtime 130 minutes
4 Wonder Woman 1984
$196 million
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One of the DCEU’s many stumbling blocks, Wonder Woman 1984 was 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 1984 just barely failed to break even.
Compared to earlier entries on this list, Wonder Woman 1984 is 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 1984 over-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.
Wonder Woman 1984 4.0 5
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PG-13
Director Patty Jenkins Release Date December 25, 2020 Cast Gal Gadot , Chris Pine , Pedro Pascal , Kristoffer Polaha , Connie Nielsen , Gabriella Wilde , Kristen Wiig , Robin Wright , Manoj Anand Runtime 115 Minutes
3 Teen Titans GO! To The Movies
$52 million
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Despite being on the lower-end of DC comic book movie earners, Teen Titans GO! To the Movies was actually something of a financial success. Taking the same lean animation art style of the Teen 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 Movies is 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 Movies sees 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 Movies at least understands and excels in its place as a low-brow comedy.
Teen Titans Go! To The Movies 2.5 0
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PG
Director Aaron Horvath , Peter Rida Michail Release Date July 27, 2018 Cast Greg Cipes , Khary Payton , Scott Menville , Tara Strong , Hynden Walch , Will Arnett
2 Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
$5.6 million
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For every animated movie that appeals to the lowest common denominator, like Teen Titans GO! To the Movies, there’s a brilliant cerebral film that strikes a chord with children and adults alike, such as Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. A continuation of the critically-beloved Batman: 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 Phantasm
fell just short of making its budget back on a theatrical release.
As essentially an extended, extra lovingly-animated episode of Batman: The Animated Series, the film transports all the tender care of the original showrunners to the big screen. From the poignant narrative featuring one of Batman’s best love interests yet to the chilling art style that makes the looming Phantasm’s mask feel 50 feet wide, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is 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.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm 6
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PG
Director eric radomski , Bruce W. Timm Release Date December 25, 1993 Cast Kevin Conroy , Dana Delany , Hart Bochner , Stacy Keach , Abe Vigoda , Dick Miller Runtime 76 minutes
1 The Suicide Squad
$167 million
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Even if it was a smash-hit on streaming, James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad still 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 Squad has 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 upcoming DC Universe, it’s unfair, if not surprising, that The Suicide Squad didn’t do better in theaters.
The Suicide Squad 4.0 9
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R
Director James Gunn Release Date August 5, 2021 Cast Margot Robbie , Viola Davis , Idris Elba , John Cena , Joel Kinnaman , Michael Rooker Runtime 132 minutes
Upcoming DC Movie Releases
- Joker: Folie a Deux
Release Date October 4, 2024
- Superman (2025)
Release Date July 11, 2025
- Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
Release Date June 26, 2026
- The Batman Part II
Release Date October 2, 2026