From solo hits like Joker to franchise blockbusters like Aquaman, DC has had great success at the box office.
The DC landscape is in for a significant change under the leadership of James Gunn and Peter Safran. While the co-chairs have plans for the DCEU’s next decade, the studio can still take pride in its previous successes. These films form part of the cinematic universe and the basis from which everything else will follow.
DC has done right by placing faith in superheroes like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman. Films centering around these characters have reaped the greatest rewards. It’s interesting to look back at DC’s biggest box office returns to see how much of an impact each of them made.
10/10Justice League Was DC’s First A-List Superhero Team-Up Movie
Worldwide Gross – $657.9 Million
Justice League was the DCEU’s attempt at making a big team-up movie for the franchise to center around. The film didn’t quite live up to the hype, grossing $657.9 million when a story of such scale should have made much higher numbers.
Justice League was plagued with various behind-the-scenes troubles, which tampered with the final product. It still ranks among DC’s highest-grossing films, which shows that fans were interested in a team-up of Superman and other A-list heroes.
9/10Man Of Steel Was One Of The Highest-Grossing Superhero Films At The Time
Worldwide Gross – $668 Million
Although its gross might not seem as impressive today, Man of Steel was a success at the time of its release. The film introduced audiences to the DCEU, as Henry Cavill’s Superman kicked things off. The story of Clark Kent taking on the mantle and defending Earth from Zod clicked with audiences.
Man of Steel’s box office gross gave DC the confidence to move ahead with plans for their cinematic universe. The movie didn’t set critical opinion on fire, but fan reception was good enough to consider Man of Steel a worthy entry in DC’s line-up.
8/10Suicide Squad Is DC’s Most Successful Team-Up Film
Worldwide Gross – $746.8 Million
DC fans can’t get enough of Harley Quinn’s antics, which was adapted into live-action with Suicide Squad. Reviewers weren’t kind to the story of Task Force X battling the Enchantress, but cinemagoers turned out in droves. The movie’s gross is even more worthy of note, considering it didn’t get a release in the lucrative Chinese market.
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Suicide Squad had a good amount of hype surrounding its release, as it was seen as an edgy spin on the superhero genre. Harley Quinn, El Diablo, and Deadshot were fan favorites, propelling the film to have a more-than-decent showing at the box office.
7/10The Batman Brought DC Much-Need Box Office Success
Worldwide Gross – $770.8 Million
Robert Pattinson brought another version of Batman to the screens, successfully creating a new cinematic universe for DC. The Batman is a much darker take on Gotham, featuring the titular hero figuring out the murderous Riddler’s motives for his crime spree.
The Batman revitalized DC’s box office run after a few years of underperforming films from the studio. Its success was more impressive, considering the movie did good business when the market was still recovering from the impact of COVID-19. The goodwill from The Batman’s run ensured this new iteration would continue.
6/10Wonder Woman Became The Most Successful Female-Led Superhero Movie
Worldwide Gross – $821.8 Million
Wonder Woman wowed audiences upon release, garnering a magnificent 93% Rotten Tomatoes score. Diana’s origin story of meeting Steve Trevor and averting disaster during WWI was a heartfelt entry into the DCEU. The film was notably the first installment in the series to have both major commercial and critical success.
Wonder Woman ended up as the highest-grossing female-led superhero movie, also the second overall behind Beauty and the Beast. The positive reception enabled DC to put faith in Wonder Woman as a leading figure in the series for the next few years.
5/10Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice Gave Fans A Highly Anticipated Battle
Worldwide Gross – $873.6 Million
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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice continued Clark Kent’s story from Man of Steel, this time involving Bruce Wayne. The two leading DC heroes got into a clash, as Lex Luthor manipulated them into fighting one another. With Wonder Woman also present, fans were anticipating this film’s release.
Dawn of Justice had a huge gross in its first weekend of release, although it slowed down afterward. The movie didn’t get the best reviews from critics and had a so-so audience reception. Its box office tally was still big by the end of its run, becoming the highest-grossing DC film apart from The Dark Knight movies at the time.
4/10The Dark Knight Became The First Billion-Dollar Superhero Movie
Worldwide Gross – $1.006 Billion
The Dark Knight has one of the best villains in movie history, as Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker made a cultural impact. The actor posthumously won an Oscar for his performance, with the film also becoming a massive hit. The Dark Knight was the first superhero to hit the $1 billion mark due to widespread interest.
The film’s realistic depiction of The Joker antagonizing Gotham City to lure out Batman made it a story accessible to all kinds of viewers. Riding on a wave of momentum from good reviews and solid performances, The Dark Knight’s success made Batman the superhero to beat at the box office.
3/10Joker Became A Sleeper Blockbuster
Worldwide Gross – $1.074 Billion
Joker was never poised to become the blockbuster it is now known to be, as the film is a dark thriller about the titular character’s descent into madness. But audiences were charmed by Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal, as positive word of mouth enabled it to become the highest-grossing R-rated film.
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Like Heath Ledger before him, Phoenix also bagged an Oscar for his role as the Clown Prince of Crime. Joker polarized critics for its depiction of violence, but this ended up creating greater intrigue among audiences to check it out even more. As a result, what was originally a standalone film is now the first entry in a Joker series.
2/10The Dark Knight Rises Capped Off The Highly Profitable Trilogy
Worldwide Gross – $1.081 Billion
The Dark Knight Rises lived up to its predecessor and then some, becoming the biggest success for DC at the time. The movie also finishes the trilogy, as Batman battles Bane to protect Gotham’s annihilation from the League of Shadows.
The Dark Knight Rises didn’t receive as much acclaim as the previous movie, but audiences love Tom Hardy’s Bane and the send-off to Christian Bale’s Batman. It was one of the highest-grossing movies of all time upon release, proving the Batman brand to be infallible.
1/10Aquaman Is DC’s Crowning Achievement At The Box Office
Worldwide Gross – $1.148 Billion
Aquaman was hardly the most popular DC character before his introduction to the DCEU. But Jason Momoa’s portrayal skyrocketed his appeal, as his solo film became DC’s greatest success. Aquaman‘s story sees Arthur Curry return to Atlantis to stop his brother’s evil plans and to take over as the rightful king.
The action, special effects, and Momoa’s performance all contributed to making Aquaman the film that resurrected the DCEU after Justice League’s mixed reception. While the franchise has undergone many changes, Aquaman has remained the studio’s crowning achievement
