The Biggest Marvel Movie Flops
Marvel has created some of the most iconic superhero movies, with many of their films breaking box office records and earning critical acclaim.
Yet while many fans will relish in their countless successes, not all Marvel movies have been hits. Despite the massive popularity of the MCU, there are several Marvel films that didn’t live up to their expectations.
From Fantastic Four to X-Men to Elektra, here’s some of Marvel’s biggest flops.
What Does Marvel Consider A "Flop?"
The Marvel Cinematic Universe ranks as the highest-grossing film series of all time, having currently grossed over $29.8 billion.
To help put things into perspective, the Avengers series has the best average of all with nearly $1.9 billion per film.
However, while many of the movies in this list may be considered fan favorites, their box office numbers are significantly lower than what Marvel had expected.
Basically, any Marvel film that made less than $1 billion at the box office is considered a “flop".
Howard The Duck (1986)
If you don’t recognize this title, it’s because it was one of the most infamous Marvel movies ever made—because of how poorly it did.
Howard the Duck was given a budget of $37 million, which was fairly generous for the 1980s. But the puppets and costumes in the movie looked cheap. Critics also claim the plot was “creepy” and poorly written.
The film grossed a worldwide total of $37.9 million, just barely over its budget.
Marvel, Howard the Duck (1986)
Blade: Trinity (2004)
Blade: Trinity marked the end of the Blade franchise—which had previously been a box office hit. And even though the film had a talented cast, including Wesley Snipes and Ryan Reynolds, the film didn’t impress critics or fans.
They say the film had a weak storyline, underwhelming special effects, and uninspired performances. It only grossed $128 million worldwide, making it a major disappointment for Marvel.
The Punisher (2004)
This R-rated Marvel movie didn’t perform as well as expected. Critics claim the special effects were unimpressive and the supporting cast, which included John Travolta, gave “weak performances".
The film only grossed $54.7 million worldwide, making it a huge Marvel flop.
Elektra (2005)
Elektra, starring Jennifer Garner, is a spinoff of the popular Daredevil franchise, but sadly it didn’t capture the same excitement as its predecessor. Critics claim Garner’s portrayal of the title character was “lackluster” and failed to resonate with the audience.
They also claim the pLot was confusing and the film lacked direction overall.
It only grossed $57 million worldwide against a production budget of $43-65 million.
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Even though the Hulk is a popular Marvel character, the highly-anticipated reboot of the Hulk franchise disappointed audiences. They claimed they were unimpressed with the lack of character development and chemistry between actors.
As a result, the film underperformed at the box office, grossing only $263 million worldwide.
Marvel, The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Iron Man (2008)
While Iron Man may be popular today, back in 2008, the beginning of the MCU was a gamble, and they weren’t sure how audiences would respond.
Critics don’t have much to say about the movie, and fans apparently loved it. But according to the standards, it didn’t make the $1 billion threshold, and thus, it is a flop.
With a budget of around $140 million, Iron Man earned $585 million worldwide.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine was set up to be successful, with everything from beloved characters to a talented cast. But critics claim the weak plot, poor writing, and a lack of special effects did it in. It only made $373 million worldwide.
Marvel, X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011)
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance simply didn’t live up to expectations set by its predecessor. Critics and fans claim the movie “struggled to establish a cohesive plot,” and that its “poor character development left audiences uninvested in the story".
There were also comments about the special effects lacking, which is a crucial component to any superhero film.
The film grossed about $140 million, against its $57 million production budget.
Marvel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011)
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
You may be wondering why Thor: The Dark World is on this list, considering it grossed over $644 million worldwide and became the tenth highest-grossing film of 2013.
Apparently, critics still had some things to say. Many fans agree that the movie’s plot should have been more straightforward, and that many critical story elements fell flat. It was also criticized for being “uneven,” with action scenes feeling rushed and dialogue-heavy scenes dragging on.
Marvel, Thor: The Dark World (2013)
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was expected to do well, considering it was intended to continue the story of Peter Parker and introduce new villains and characters that could lead to future sequels and spinoffs.
Sadly, critics claim the film's “cluttered plot, messy pacing, and underwhelming performances” disappointed audiences.
Even though it managed to gross over $700 million worldwide, it fell short for a Spider-Man movie.
Fantastic Four (2015)
Fantastic Four is a superhero team consisting of Mr Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, and The Thing—and they’ve had a rough go on screen.
The 2015 adaptation received a thumbs down from both critics and fans who claimed the movie had a weak plot and failed to connect to the audience.
The film only grossed $167 million worldwide—which isn’t much for a Marvel movie.
Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)
Technically, Avengers: Age of Ultron earned a whopping $1.4 billion at the box office and is still considered one of the top 10 highest-grossing movies of all time. So, why is it on this list?
Well, in 2015, many reports surfaced claiming that Disney was actually disappointed by how little money it earned and did not consider the movie to be a success. Apparently, this “flop” is also why they took away Marvel CEO Isaac Perlmutter’s involvement with Marvel Studios—ouch.
The $1.4 million was much less than the first Avengers, which Disney considers an “under-performance". They chalk it up to negative reception—meaning audience members who typically would have gone to see it twice were satisfied with only one viewing of the movie.
Marvel, Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Doctor Strange (2016)
Doctor Strange actually got positive reviews, especially for Benedict Cumberbatch’s strong performance in the leading role. However, it wasn’t the most profitable picture of the MCU.
Critics believe that Doctor Strange simply wasn’t well-known enough, and that MCU origin stories don’t often earn as much money.
With a budget of $165 million, Doctor Strange made $677 million worldwide.
Inhumans (2017)
The Inhumans TV series is widely regarded as one of the worst things to ever come out of the MCU. The show was partly funded by IMAX, who also gave Marvel IMAX equipment to shoot the first two episodes, in exchange for playing those two episodes in IMAX theaters for a week. Sadly, this bold movie didn’t pay off.
Inhumans grossed less than $3 million total during its theatrical run.
IMAX blamed its poor performance on a “misalignment of customer expectations".
Dark Phoenix (2019)
Dark Phoenix was the final installment in the X-Men franchise, and it was highly anticipated by fans. Unfortunately, the movie failed to deliver the epic conclusion fans were expecting.
Critics claim the film had a “weak plot” and “pacing issues” that overwhelmed audiences. Sophie Turner’s performances were also criticized, as some felt she failed to capture the characters “complexity and emotional depth".
The film grossed just $252 million worldwide, becoming one of the biggest flops in Marvel movie history.
Black Widow (2021)
Black Widow came at a bad time. Some believe had it premiered a few years back, before the pandemic and Captain Marvel’s release, it likely would have been more profitable.
Some fans also felt that Natasha Romanoff deserved her solo film much earlier—not after her death in the MCU.
The movie only made $379 million with a $288.5 million budget.
Eternals (2021)
Eternals may have been one of Marvel’s boldest movies from Chloe Zhao, but it didn’t break any records or reach the $1 billion thresholds that many MCU movies have far surpassed.
Critics believe the timing of the film plays a significant role in its failure—as it also came out during the pandemic. They also believe the audience may not have been as familiar with the heroes.
The movie only grossed $402 million.
Twentieth Century, Eternals (2021)
The King’s Man (2021)
The King’s Man was a prequel to the Kingsman franchise—which was based on a Mark Millar series called The Secret Service, published by Marvel’s Icon Comics. The first two Kingsman movies did well—but this third one crashed and burned.
Not only was this one set decades before the others, it also featured an entirely different cast and story—which critics believe played a role in its failure.
With a $100 million budget, the film only grossed $126 million—barely covering advertising costs.
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021)
Another 2021 Marvel flop was Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings. And while Marvel may consider it a flop, the movie did manage to get positive reviews from those who actually went to the theater to see it.
But some fans admit that Shang-Chi isn’t as well known, which sparked less interest. The film grossed $432 million.
Marvel, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021)
Morbius (2022)
Morbius is another notorious MCU flop. According to Forbes, it was “a rare movie that essentially bombed twice at the domestic box office".
After it grossed only $74 million in US theaters, it became a meme on social media. Sony decided to re-release it, thinking perhaps it finally gained some popularity, but then it flopped a second time.
In total, the film only grossed $167 million.
Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
Ant-Man And the Wasp: Quantumania was the third Ant-Man film. The previous two earned $519 million and $622 million—so it wasn’t exactly expected to be huge anyway. But even with low expectations, the film managed to disappoint.
Critics believe that either fans are getting tired of Ant-Man or the movie’s story failed to captivate them.
The movie cost $200 million to make and only earned $476 million at the box office—so it basically covered its costs with not much extra.
Marvel, Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
The Marvels (2023)
The Marvels is by far the lowest-grossing MCU movie, and the most recent. Critics claim it failed to find an audience. Despite the premise of the film featuring Carol Danvers, Mala Khan, and Monica Rambeau teaming up to save the universe with their powers, the movie just didn't impress at the box office, and definitely did not make back its budget.
The budget was a whopping $275 million and it only grossed $206 million at the box office.
But Are They Really Flops?
Even though Marvel and Disney may consider the movies in this list to be flops, there’s quite a few fans that would disagree. So, while they may not have surpassed the billion-dollar MCU target, they’re still not bad movies.
But of course, this depends on who you ask.
