This summer’s box office made a notable impact, but James Gunn’s Superman and Disney’s Fantastic Four: The First Step didn’t quite set the world on fire.
Hollywood had a robust performance at the box office in the early months of 2025. Films like Minecraft and Lilo & Stitch did quite well, but the summer brought some downturns. The much-anticipated releases of Superman and Fantastic Four struggled to reach profitability, with the Jurassic World Revival falling short of $800 million globally.
“By the weekend of August 15-17, revenue dropped by 6% compared to last year due to a slowdown in major titles,” a report noted. “Even more concerning, it was over 11% less than in 2023, and I really wanted Fantastic Four to bring in significant August earnings. Instead, the film quickly lost steam.”
Many had expected the summer’s earnings to finally reach that $4 billion mark from 2023, but that now seems unlikely. Comscore is projecting about $3.75 billion, which is only a 2% increase from 2024 for the big summer releases. I think Deadpool & Wolverine managed to salvage some late summer revenue with $211 million opening, heading towards a global total of $1.333 billion. Plus, Inside Out 2 also hit over $1 billion this summer, earning around $1.66 billion overall. However, if we stick to that $3.75 billion estimate, it’s still an 8.4% decline from 2023.”
This summer of 2025 is also particularly noteworthy in the recent post-pandemic film landscape, as no Hollywood films exceeded $100 million or even $500 million in domestic earnings.
Gunn’s Superman adaptation potentially held a production budget exceeding $325 million when marketing costs are included. So, the studio needs to bring in at least $650 million worldwide just to break even. Critics have been vocal about the struggles of the film at the box office, including Fantastic Four and Thunderbolt, and despite generally positive reviews and fan response, it didn’t translate into ticket sales.
“Audience love for horror and superhero genres hasn’t diminished, but they seem to have lost interest in mediocre entries within those categories,” suggested Mike Burstow, executive VP at ACX Cinema in the Midwest. “There’s a clear demand for quality.”
