DC started their films off strong back in the late '70s; however, the way comics and films work has all changed. Everyone wants to have their own cinematic universe, and DC is slowly working on putting it all together.
While the company's film universe is new, its role in Hollywood is not. It's had some huge hits and misses since 1978, when Superman released. Some of these films set box office records while others were buried and forgotten. We thought it would be fun to take a look at how much money DC's films made in theaters, from worst to best, with adjustment for inflation.
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.Steel (1997)
You probably don't remember Steel, starring Shaquille O'Neal. There's a reason for that. It's a terrible movie.
US: $1,686,429 (Adjusted for Inflation: $2,532,669)
Steel was only released domestically.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
Although Mask of the Phantasm didn't make a ton of money compared to the rest of the films on the list, it's the only DC animated film to release in theaters (Killing Joke was a one-night event), and it was well-received for its time.
US: $5,588,699 (Adjusted for Inflation: $9,322,414)
Released theatrically in US and Brazil. Numbers for Brazil not available.
Jonah Hex (2010)
Jonah Hex is a pretty fantastic, grounded western property that was turned into a supernatural mess. It had a great cast and all the potential in the world, but the story was extremely rough.
US: $10,539,414 (Adjusted for Inflation: $11,650,214)
Worldwide total: $10,895,609 (Adjusted for Inflation: $12,043,951)
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
No one wanted to see Superman throw the world's nuclear weapons into the sun. They wanted to see him punch somebody.
US: $15,681,020 (Adjusted for Inflation: $31,950,310)
Superman IV was only released domestically.
Supergirl (1984)
Many people forget that after Superman III, Supergirl got her shot at the big screen.
US: $14,296,438 (Adjusted for Inflation: $33,166,360)
Supergirl was only released domestically.
Catwoman (2004)
Catwoman is a film that took the source material and threw it out the window, hoping to rely on Halle Berry's name to put butts in seats. It did not do so.
US: $40,202,379 (Adjusted for Inflation: $51,298,576)
Worldwide total: $82,102,379 (Adjusted for Inflation: $104,763,331)
Superman III (1983)
After the awesomeness that was Superman II, someone decided to make the third film in the franchise a buddy comedy, featuring comedian Richard Pryor.
US: $56,950,623 (Adjusted for Inflation: $137,823,938.42)
Superman III was only released domestically.
Watchmen (2009)
Watchmen was the start of director Zack Snyder working for DC Entertainment. The film was ambitious and visually stunning, but it left a sour taste in some people's mouths.
US: $107,509,799 (Adjusted for Inflation: $120,790,105)
Worldwide total: $185,258,983 (Adjusted for Inflation: $208,143,372)
Green Lantern (2011)
Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool, Blade: Trinity) took on the role of Hal Jordan, space cop. It was panned by both critics and fans. At least Reynolds has a good sense of humor about it.
US: $116,601,172 (Adjusted for Inflation: $124,946,377)
Worldwide total: $219,851,172 (Adjusted for Inflation: $235,586,033)
Justice League (2017)
Justice League stumbled during it's opening weekend. It didn't even bring in $100 million domestically.
US: $94,000,000
Worldwide total: $279,000,000 (As of 11/20/17)
Superman II (1980)
Superman II did well in the theaters, but we're not quite sure why this wasn't released internationally.
US: $101,347,629 (Adjusted for Inflation: $296,463,953)
Superman II was only released domestically.
The Lego Batman Movie (2017)
It may not be part of the DC Cinematic Universe, but The Lego Batman Movie appeals to fans both young and old.
US: $174,932,902
Worldwide: $310,032,902
Batman & Robin (1997)
If there's one thing Batman & Robin did well, it was to have Arnold Schwarzenegger only speak in ice puns. In fact, that's the only thing it did well.
US: $107,285,004 (Adjusted for Inflation: $161,120,017)
Worldwide total: $238,207,122 (Adjusted for Inflation: $357,738,120)
Batman Begins (2005)
After Batman & Robin, some folks were a little skeptical of Christopher Nolan's Batman origin story and reluctant to go to the theater. They shouldn't have been.
US: $206,852,432 (Adjusted for Inflation: $255,295,937)
Worldwide total: $374,218,673 (Adjusted for Inflation: $461,858,271)
Superman Returns (2006)
The fifth movie in the original Superman series, 19 years after Superman IV, had a good showing.
US: $200,069,408 (Adjusted for Inflation: $239,207,985)
Worldwide total: $391,081,192 (Adjusted for Inflation: $467,586,450)
Batman Returns (1992)
Tim Burton's second Batman film didn't do as well as the original, but that's probably because they didn't get Prince to do the soundtrack again.
US: $162,744,850 (Adjusted for Inflation: $279,598,668)
Worldwide total: $282,800,000 (Adjusted for Inflation: $485,855,640)
Batman Forever (1995)
Surprisingly, Batman Forever did better than Batman Returns, probably because heavy hitters--for the time--Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones joined the cast.
US: $183,997,904 (Adjusted for Inflation: $291,013,692)
Worldwide total: $336,531,112 (Adjusted for Inflation: $532,262,376)
Man of Steel (2013)
Man of Steel kicked off DC's cinematic universe and polarized audiences and fans as Zack Snyder gave the world a much darker Superman than they were expecting.
US: $291,045,518 (Adjusted for Inflation: $301,141,539)
Worldwide total: $668,045,518 (Adjusted for Inflation: $691,219,218)
Suicide Squad (2016)
The third film in DC's cinematic universe may have been panned by critics, but it continues to bring in money.
US: $325,021,779
Worldwide total: $745,173,191
Batman (1989)
Batman wowed audiences with Tim Burton's dark, quirky style and an awesome soundtrack by Prince.
US: $251,188,924 (Adjusted for Inflation: $488,274,805)
Worldwide total: $411,348,924 (Adjusted for Inflation: $799,602,596)
Wonder Woman (2017)
Wonder Woman had a great opening weekend, making over $100 million domestically. The movie tells the story of Diana (Gal Gadot) leaving her home to battle evil during World War I.
US: $412,550,942
Worldwide total: $821,750,942
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
While comic fans and some moviegoers had a problem with the tone and story, people across the world went to the theater to see Batman fight Superman.
US: $330,249,062
Worldwide total: $872,662,631
Superman (1978)
Superman was the first to break the $1 billion mark, when adjusted for inflation. It introduced the world to Christopher Reeves as the Man of Steel.
US: $40,925,251 (Adjusted for Inflation: $151,296,635)
Worldwide total: $300,218,018 (Adjusted for Inflation: $1,109,876,543)
The Dark Knight (2008)
One of the best comic book films to date, featuring a stellar performance from the late Heath Ledger, broke the $1 billion mark in 2008.
US: $534,858,444 (Adjusted for Inflation: $598,789,657)
Worldwide total: $1,004,558,444 (Adjusted for Inflation: $1,124,632,532)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
The top-grossing DC film wasn't even one of their best. Christopher Nolan's final Batman movie beat out his previous film by $10 million.
US: $448,139,099 (Adjusted for Inflation: $470,476,371)
Worldwide total: $1,084,939,099 (Adjusted for Inflation: $1,139,017,354)
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