Wrap Party: End of 2017 Super Hero Movie Box Office Report



While none of 2017's super hero movies topped the $1 billion worldwide mark seen in previous years — CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR nabbed $1.1B in 2016, AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON had $1.4B in 2015 — it was still a very strong year for superhero films and there is still no signs of superhero movie fatigue as some people online claim.


WARNER BROS.


Warner Bros. started the year off with their animated feature, and spin-off of THE LEGO MOVIE, with THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE. While it received rave reviews, it fell flat in the box office ending its run with $312 million worldwide, on a reported $80 million budget. Not bad, but not great when you consider THE LEGO MOVIE took in $469 million on a smaller $60 million budget. Surely, Blu Ray, DVD, and streaming sales will help its bottom line but this should have been an easy winner when you combined Batman and LEGO together.

Then, Warner Bros. hit it big for their DC Extended Universe franchises when WONDER WOMAN opened to both critical acclaim as well as big box office numbers. This was the first time the studio managed to hit a positive note with the critics and moviegoers for the DCEU. Diana Prince's first solo feature film brought in $821 million, making her, by far, the best DCEU installment domestically ($421M) of any previous DCEU movie, and she sits at second worldwide for DCEU films only behind BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE ($8873M).

All the positive vibes Warner Bros. earned with WONDER WOMAN were lost with the mediocre performance of JUSTICE LEAGUE; plus, critics were back to panning yet another DCEU movie. As of the publishing of this post, the ensemble movie may end up as the DCEU's worst box office performer, both domestically and worldwide. MAN OF STEEL currently sits with $291 million domestically and $668 million worldwide compared to the numbers JUSTICE LEAGUE has right now, with $223 million domestic and $647 million worldwide. On top of this disappointment is the reported production budget for JUSTICE LEAGUE which is in the $300 million-plus range after expensive reshoots.

Seriously, who thought Henry Cavill's mustache removal was even worth paying for let alone okay'ed having it in the movie at all? Some executive or producer bigwig should have told Joss Whdeon it would have been much cheaper, and easier, to keep his mustache and just add a fake beard along with Superman's black suit... there... problem solved... can I be a Warner Bros. suit now, too?

Anyway, add in its expensive marketing budget and Warner Bros. is going to be lucky to turn a profit from just its theatrical run, which is mind numbingly idiotic for the first DC super hero ensemble movie that fans had been eagerly anticipated for a very, very long time.

WONDER WOMAN was the highest of highs for Warner Bros., while JUSTICE LEAGUE quickly became the lowest of lows. Although, the studio is still moving forward with the DCEU as AQUAMAN is in post-production for its December 2018 release. Also, SHAZAM! is said to begin filming in early 2018, as well as WONDER WOMAN is set for a November 2019 opening, but beyond this everything else is rumors right now with nothing else is in the pipeline with the exception of director Matt Reeves' planned BATMAN Trilogy that is being developed. Warner Bros. execs continue to fumble their DC movie properties and can't find the right person to oversee the DCEU as more reports hit the web stating more shake-ups at the top of the DCEU food chain.
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FOX


Fox only had one super hero movie released in 2017 and it is debatably one of the best comic book adaptations ever seen with Hugh Jackman's swan song as Wolverine in LOGAN. The film is Fox's third biggest earner worldwide in their X-Men movie universe with $616 million. Far exceeding Wolverine's previous two solo movies THE WOLVERINE ($414M) and X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE ($373M). LOGAN, a critical hit has many pushing it for some Oscar nominations and it is only behind DEADPOOL ($783M) and X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST ($747M).

However, Fox has sold off its movie studio assets (and a lot more) to Disney, thus bringing the X-Men, Deadpool, and Fantastic Four properties — as well as a slew of great Marvel villains — home to Marvel Studios, it is unknown what the future holds for Marvel's mutants and First Family. Disney CEO Bob Iger has gone public to say he wants to keep the DEADPOOL franchise as is and rated-R, so a solid box office performance by DEADPOOL 2, in summer 2018, will solidify his comment. The same can't be said for next fall's X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX movie which immediately became more irrelevant of a film now that Marvel fans just want to see Marvel Studios reboot the X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe more than anything else.
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MARVEL STUDIOS


Marvel Studios was the big winner once again even though 2017 was its first year since 2014 not having one of its films breach the $1 billion mark worldwide. The Disney-owned studio produced not one, not two, but three films that each made over $845 million worldwide. The Sony distributed SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING led the way with $880 million, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 took in $863 million, and THOR: RAGNAROK rocked it way to $846 million (and still counting since it is still in theaters).
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Here's the final rankings for 2017's super hero movies in the domestic and worldwide box office. (Please note these box office numbers are as of the publishing of this post on 12/28/17.)

Domestic
  1. WONDER WOMAN - $412 million 
  2. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 - $389M
  3. SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING - $334M
  4. THOR: RAGNAROK - $309M
  5. LOGAN - $226M
  6. JUSTICE LEAGUE - $223M
  7. THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE - $175M
Worldwide 
  1. SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING - $880 million
  2. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 - $863M
  3. THOR: RAGNAROK - $846M
  4. WONDER WOMAN - $821M
  5. JUSTICE LEAGUE - $647M
  6. LOGAN - $616M
  7. THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE - $312M

[All box office numbers sources from BoxOfficeMojo.]

Written by Daniel Wolf, Founder & Publisher

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