DC Studios Finally Snaps Marvel’s Record-Breaking Box Office Streak

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Since 2008, Marvel Studios movies have consistently dominated box office numbers, often outperforming all other superhero films. But that streak has recently been broken. In 2025, four major superhero movies came out: *Captain America: Brave New World*, *Thunderbolts*, *The Fantastic Four: First Steps*, and *Superman*. Even though Marvel released three films, DC Studios‘ single release-and the first film in its new DC Universe-is now leading in box office revenue.

Currently, *Superman* has earned $615 million worldwide, making it the seventh highest-grossing film of the year. It has surpassed the box office totals of *The Fantastic Four: First Steps* ($519 million), *Captain America: Brave New World* ($415 million), and *Thunderbolts* ($382 million). This marks the end of a four-year winning streak for Marvel Studios, who had consistently released the year’s highest-grossing superhero movie since 2021.

Despite challenges at the box office following the pandemic, Marvel Studios has remained largely successful. In 2024, *Deadpool & Wolverine* became the second-highest-grossing movie of the year. Prior successes include *Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3* in 2023, which earned over $800 million globally, *Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness* as the top superhero film of 2022, and *Spider-Man: No Way Home* which was the highest-grossing film of 2021.

For the past four years, DC Studios has been changing direction. Warner Bros. decided to move away from the previous DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and brought in James Gunn and Peter Safran to lead a newly formed DC Studios, aiming to reboot their superhero films. While movies like *Black Adam*, *Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom*, and *The Flash* were still released, none were able to match the yearly box office success of Marvel’s superhero movies.

With its recent box office success, *Superman* is the first DC film to outperform Marvel Studios since 2020. This is particularly notable as Marvel didn’t release any new films that year, while DC released *Birds of Prey* and *Wonder Woman 1984*. As the first movie in the newly launched DC Universe, *Superman*’s performance suggests a promising start for the franchise.

The new film *Superman*, directed by James Gunn, features David Corenswet as Superman/Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. It premiered in theaters on July 11th and became available to rent or buy digitally on August 15th.

Marvel and DC’s Competitive Box Office History

Even though superhero movies saw a change in how much money they made in 2025, the competition between Marvel and DC has been going on for a long time.

When Marvel launched its Cinematic Universe (MCU) with Iron Man in 2008, the film became a top ten hit for the year. At that time, DC hadn’t begun building its own cinematic universe, but Warner Bros. was successful with Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. By the time Man of Steel arrived in 2013, kicking off the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), Marvel was already well into its sequel releases, with both Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World coming out that same year-and Iron Man 3 actually earned more at the box office than the new Superman film.

For the next ten years, Marvel and DC Comics both released superhero movies, with films like Fox’s *X-Men* and Sony’s *Spider-Man* also appearing now and then. But throughout the 2010s, Marvel’s Cinematic Universe (MCU) consistently outperformed DC’s Extended Universe (DCEU) at the box office, with each Marvel release earning more than DC’s corresponding film.

The strong box office performance of *Superman* in 2025 indicates that DC Studios might be gaining momentum. They have several projects in development, including films featuring *Supergirl* and *Clayface*, plus a new movie focusing on the Super-Family that’s being rushed into production. However, Marvel’s Cinematic Universe is also preparing major releases like *Spider-Man: Brand New Day* and two new *Avengers* films, ensuring a continued rivalry between the two studios for superhero movie dominance in the coming years.

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2025-09-18 15:05