Hollywood has been churning out a steady stream of superhero movies over the last decade. The reason is clear: These films perform extraordinarily well at the box office, grossing millions of dollars domestically and billions abroad.
Not every movie featuring spandex-clad heroes and comic book villains results in box office gold, however. 24/7 Wall St. has determined the 30 worst superhero movies by creating an index based on user ratings from the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes. Even if they were crafted in pursuit of critical success, these films have become the equivalent of studio kryptonite.
Click here to see the worst superhero movies of all time.
Click here to see the best superhero movies of all time.
The superhero movies created in the last decade have generally been commercially successful. For example, seven of the 25 highest-earning films of all time – ranked by worldwide gross – are superhero movies, and every one of them was produced in the last seven years. These films generally have extraordinary budgets, access to technology that was not available in the past, and appeal to markets across the world. By contrast, of the 30 worst superhero films, just four debuted then, while 12 of them hail from the 1990s and five from the 1980s.
While some films on our list of this genre’s worst revolved around stalwarts – witness “Superman III,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III” and “Batman & Robin” – many more trot out lesser-known characters, who have failed to capture audiences’ imaginations. Such titles include “The Shadow,” “The Phantom” and “Steel,” which stars none other than NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.
In addition to drawing dismal reviews from critics and the public at large, many of the films on our list performed exceptionally poorly at the box office. “Steel” grossed less than $2 million in the U.S. “Blankman,” the film on our list with the second-lowest gross, collected only $7.9 million domestically. Some of the higher-earners have been virtual flops in domestic box office: Director M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Last Airbender” grossed just a tad more than $131 million in the U.S., a meager haul considering its $150 million budget, per IMDb figures. It did earn the rest of its production budget back on the global market, however.
To be considered for this ranking, a film had to have picked up at least 10,000 user ratings combined from IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes and 10 Tomatometer critic reviews along with an action classification from IMDb. Our index tallied an average for each film using its average audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes and average user rating on the Internet Movie Database, all weighted by the number of votes. We then averaged the combined user score with the film’s Rotten Tomatoes’ average critic rating. The box office data, taken from IMDb, has not been adjusted for inflation.
Source: Courtesy of Lionsgate Film and Marvel Studios, LLC / imdb.com
30. “Punisher: War Zone” (2008)
> Director: Lexi Alexander
> Starring: Ray Stevenson, Dominic West, Julie Benz
> Domestic box office: $7.95 million
> Superpower: High tolerance for pain
[in-text-ad]
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. / imdb.com
29. “Ghost Rider” (2007)
> Director: Mark Steven Johnson
> Starring: Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Sam Elliott
> Domestic box office: $115.80 million
> Superpower: Super strength
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures / imdb.com
28. “The Shadow” (1994)
> Director: Russell Mulcahy
> Starring: Alec Baldwin, John Lone, Penelope Ann Miller
> Domestic box office: $32.06 million
> Superpower: Telekinetic ability
Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures / imdb.com
27. “RoboCop 2” (1990)
> Director: Irvin Kershner
> Starring: Peter Weller, John Glover, Mario Machado
> Domestic box office: $45.68 million
> Superpower: Cyborg strength
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures Corporation / imdb.com
26. “The Phantom” (1996)
> Director: Simon Wincer
> Starring: Billy Zane, Kristy Swanson, Treat Williams
> Domestic box office: $17.30 million
> Superpower: Extreme athleticism
Â
25. “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie” (1995)
> Director: Bryan Spicer
> Starring: Karan Ashley, Johnny Yong Bosch, Steve Cardenas
> Domestic box office: $37.80 million
> Superpowers: Great strength, agility
[in-text-ad]
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. / imdb.com
24. “Superman III” (1983)
> Director: Richard Lester
> Starring: Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, Margot Kidder
> Domestic box office: $59.95 million
> Superpowers: Flying capability, super strength, enhanced senses
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. / imdb.com
23. “The Meteor Man” (1993)
> Director: Robert Townsend
> Starring: Robert Townsend, Marla Gibbs, Eddie Griffin
> Domestic box office: $8.02 million
> Superpowers: Flying ability, laser vision, super strength
Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema / imdb.com
22. “Spawn” (1997)
> Director: Mark A.Z. Dippé
> Starring: Michael Jai White, John Leguizamo, Martin Sheen
> Domestic box office: $54.97 million
> Superpowers: Super strength, other unusual physical abilities
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema / imdb.com
21. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III” (1993)
> Director: Stuart Gillard
> Starring: Elias Koteas, Paige Turco, Stuart Wilson
> Domestic box office: $42.66 million
> Superpower: Extreme athleticism
Source: Courtesy of Miramax / imdb.com
20. “The Crow: City of Angels” (1996)
> Director: Tim Pope
> Starring: Vincent Perez, Mia Kirshner, Richard Brooks
> Domestic box office: $17.88 million
> Superpowers: Super strength, ability to resist death
[in-text-ad]
Â
19. “The Punisher” (1989)
> Director: Mark Goldblatt
> Starring: Dolph Lundgren, Louis Gossett Jr., Jeroen Krabbé
> Domestic box office: N/A
> Superpower: High tolerance for pain
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures Corporation / imdb.com
18. “Transformers: The Last Knight” (2017)
> Director: Michael Bay
> Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Hopkins, Josh Duhamel
> Domestic box office: $130.17 million
> Superpower: Extraterrestrial robotic strength
Source: Courtesy of Dimension Films / imdb.com
17. “Superhero Movie” (2008)
> Director: Craig Mazin
> Starring: Drake Bell, Leslie Nielsen, Sara Paxton
> Domestic box office: $26.64 million
> Superpowers: Various powers
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / imdb.com
16. “Judge Dredd” (1995)
> Director: Danny Cannon
> Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Armand Assante, Rob Schneider
> Domestic box office: $34.69 million
> Superpower: Extreme athleticism
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation / imdb.com
15. “Elektra” (2005)
> Director: Rob Bowman
> Starring: Jennifer Garner, Goran Visnjic, Will Yun Lee
> Domestic box office: $24.41 million
> Superpower: Masterful martial art skills
[in-text-ad]
Source: Courtesy of Miramax / imdb.com
14. “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D” (2005)
> Director: Robert Rodriguez
> Starring: Cayden Boyd, George Lopez, Kristin Davis
> Domestic box office: $39.18 million
> Superpowers: Sharkboy’s sharklike speed and skills, Lavagirl’s fire-inducing power
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. / imdb.com
13. “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” (2011)
> Director: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
> Starring: Nicolas Cage, Ciarán Hinds, Idris Elba
> Domestic box office: $51.77 million
> Superpower: Super strength
Source: Courtesy of The Cannon Group, Inc. / imdb.com
12. “Masters of the Universe” (1987)
> Director: Gary Goddard
> Starring: Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella, Meg Foster
> Domestic box office: $17.34 million
> Superpowers: Various powers
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Courtesy of Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation / imdb.com
11. “The Spirit” (2008)
> Director: Frank Miller
> Starring: Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson
> Domestic box office: $19.78 million
> Superpower: Ability to start life again
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. / imdb.com
10. “Batman & Robin” (1997)
> Director: Joel Schumacher
> Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney, Chris O’Donnell
> Domestic box office: $107.33 million
> Superpower: Superior intellect
[in-text-ad]
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. / imdb.com
9. “Blankman” (1994)
> Director: Mike Binder
> Starring: Damon Wayans, David Alan Grier, Robin Givens
> Domestic box office: $7.89 million
> Superpower: Inventive intellect
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation / imdb.com
8. “Fantastic Four” (2015)
> Director: Josh Trank
> Starring: Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan
> Domestic box office: $56.12 million
> Superpowers: Assorted powers
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures Corporation / imdb.com
7. “The Last Airbender” (2010)
> Director: M. Night Shyamalan
> Starring: Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz, Jackson Rathbone
> Domestic box office: $131.56 million
> Superpower: Ability to bend or control key Earth elements
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures / imdb.com
6. “Supergirl” (1984)
> Director: Jeannot Szwarc
> Starring: Helen Slater, Faye Dunaway, Peter O’Toole
> Domestic box office: $13.60 million
> Superpowers: Ability to fly, super strength, enhanced sensory ability
Â
5. “RoboCop 3” (1993)
> Director: Fred Dekker
> Starring: Robert John Burke, Nancy Allen, Mario Machado
> Domestic box office: $10.70 million
> Superpower: Cyborg bodily strength
[in-text-ad]
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. / imdb.com
4. “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” (1987)
> Director: Sidney J. Furie
> Starring: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder
> Domestic box office: $15.68 million
> Superpowers: Flying ability, super strength, enhanced sensory ability
Source: Courtesy of Summit Entertainment / imdb.com
3. “The Legend of Hercules” (2014)
> Director: Renny Harlin
> Starring: Kellan Lutz, Gaia Weiss, Scott Adkins
> Domestic box office: $18.85 million
> Superpower: Super strength
Â
2. “Catwoman” (2004)
> Director: Pitof
> Starring: Halle Berry, Sharon Stone, Benjamin Bratt
> Domestic box office: $40.20 million
> Superpowers: Advanced, catlike agility, martial art skills
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. / imdb.com
1. “Steel” (1997)
> Director: Kenneth Johnson
> Starring: Shaquille O’Neal, Annabeth Gish, Judd Nelson
> Domestic box office: $1.71 million
> Superpower: Enhanced resilience aided by armor
Essential Tips for Investing: Sponsored
A financial advisor can help you understand the advantages and disadvantages of investment properties. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
Investing in real estate can diversify your portfolio. But expanding your horizons may add additional costs. If you’re an investor looking to minimize expenses, consider checking out online brokerages. They often offer low investment fees, helping you maximize your profit.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Editors' Picks
