The 5 Biggest Superhero Box Office Bombs Of The Year & The 5 Best (According To Box Office Mojo)

It was certainly a big year for superhero movies. Then again, the entire past decade has been big for superhero movies. Just like the Westerns or romantic comedies of old, the superhero genre is the current fad of the day, and it seems like a new one is coming out every week.

Of course, most of these wildly vary in quality, and some become more popular than others. 2019 was no different. The year saw a myriad number of superhero and superhero-related movies, and some performed far better than others. These are the five biggest superhero box office bombs of the year, and five of the most profitable.

10 Bomb: Hellboy

Hellboy went through Hell at the box office this year. This movie had a lot to live up to, as Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy is considered a comic book classic. But despite a good actor in David Harbour, Hellboy was utterly dead on arrival.

The movie scored just 17% on Rotten Tomatoes, and if the general lack of interest didn’t kill this movie, then that did. The movie ended up grossing a horrid $21.9 million at the domestic box office and $44.6 million worldwide on a relatively meager budget of $50 million. It’s clear that this movie is just as unwanted as Hellboy is on Earth.

9 Hit: Joker

No one could have predicted just how big Joker became. Yeah, we all knew it would be a hit, what with Joaquin Phoenix and it being a Joker origin story. But wow, this thing came firing on all cylinders.

Maybe it was Joaquin’s performance, maybe it was our thirst for a more mature superhero movie, but either way, Joker was a certified record-breaker. It ended up grossing over $1 billion worldwide, and on a budget of just $55 million. It became the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time, and we don’t think anything will break that record for some time.

8 Bomb: Brightburn

Brightburn technically wasn’t a BOMB bomb, as it seemingly did make money. But it certainly underperformed. Brightburn was made for just $6 million, which basically guaranteed its success. However, it ended up grossing just $17.3 million in the domestic box office and $32.8 million worldwide.

As we said, it’s not necessarily a bomb, and it likely made a bit of money. However, it underperformed according to industry analysts, and Brightburn quickly burned out into obscurity.

7 Hit: Avengers: Endgame

You don’t need us to tell you that Avengers: Endgame was a hit. Again, everyone knew that this movie was going to be a big money earner. After all, it was the culmination of over a decades’ worth of build-up, and even people who don’t follow the MCU probably ran to see all the superheroes together on the big screen.

Despite an enormous budget of $356 million, the movie grossed $2.7 billion at the worldwide box office, making it the highest-grossing movie of all time.

6 Bomb: Dark Phoenix

Dark Phoenix served as the ending of the X-Men franchise. And what a terrible ending it was. The movie was critically lambasted, and even die-hard X-Men fans claimed that it was a massive disappointment.

It proved just as disastrous at the box office. With a massive budget of $200 million, Dark Phoenix grossed a laughable $65 million at the domestic box office. Avengers probably made that on a Wednesday night. With a worldwide gross of just $252 million, Dark Phoenix was a total dud.

5 Hit: Spider-Man: Far From Home

Marvel could do no wrong in 2019. Spider-Man: Far From Home was the first MCU movie released after Endgame, so it was guaranteed to get the trickle-down audience effect. And it really couldn’t have worked out any better.

The movie had a relatively modest budget of $160 million (modest for a blockbuster superhero movie, that is) and grossed nearly $400 million at the domestic box office alone. It ended up raking in $1.1 billion, making it the first Spider-Man movie to pass the coveted $1 billion mark.

4 Bomb: Shazam!

Was anyone really clamoring for a Shazam movie? Not really, but we got one anyway! And it performed…modestly. Despite the weird IP, Shazam! was given a budget of $100 million, which was certainly…a risk. And it certainly wasn’t a total disaster, grossing $140 million domestically and $364.5 million worldwide.

The industry experts estimated that the movie needed to make upwards of $250 million just to break even, meaning that Shazam! certainly made money, but probably not as much as DC Films were hoping.

3 Hit: Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel was a long time coming. And despite some pre-release controversy surrounding Rotten Tomatoes, Captain Marvel was released to generally positive reviews and great word of mouth.

It is yet another superhero movie of 2019 to pass the billion-dollar mark, grossing $1.1 billion at the worldwide box office ($426 million of which was from domestic markets). It was certainly not the bomb that internet trolls were hoping it to be, and it proved marvelously profitable for Marvel and Disney.

2 Bomb: The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

The Lego Movie 2 isn’t really a superhero movie per se, but it has superheroes IN IT, so we’re counting it! And may we say, we have never seen a series tank so unbelievably hard. Despite a massive amount of goodwill coming off the first Lego Movie, The Second Part was a complete disaster.

The movie’s budget is estimated to be $100 million, and it grossed just $191 million at the worldwide box office ($105 million domestic). It was considered a massive disappointment, and Warner Bros. allowed their movie deal with LEGO to expire.

1 Hit: Glass

Glass is not a superhero movie in the traditional sense, as it is not an adaptation of a beloved IP. It is a sequel to Split and Unbreakable, an M. Night Shyamalan movie that came out way back in 2000. Your faith in its success may not have been night, but Glass shattered the glass ceiling of its expectations.

The movie grossed $111 million domestically and $246.9 million at the worldwide box office, and with a meager budget of just $20 million, we think it’s safe to call Glass a bonafide smash hit. OK, we’re done with the glass puns now.

About The Author

Nathan Sharp
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Nathan Sharp is a writer from outside Toronto, Ontario. He has a love of movies and television, having enjoyed them for more than twenty years. His preferences include drama, action, and horror, with the former being a particular point of interest and fascination.

He also has a love of video games, particularly those of Rockstar.

Whether it be about film, television, or video games, Nathan loves a good discussion and has written hundreds of articles for Screen Rant.

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