The Fantastic Four and Superman franchises are returning to theaters. Again.Marvel and DC will go head-to-head once more in the summer box office, just as both of the comic book movie companies usher in new eras.Marvel and DC have taken very different paths over the past two decades in cinema, said Blair Davis, a professor in the College of Communication at DePaul University in Chicago. This summer, things may change for the franchises. “Both Marvel and DC this summer are sort of hitting the reset button on various franchises,” said Davis, who is an expert in comic book movies and comic studies. "Superman" launches a new universe by director James Gunn, who also directed Marvel’s "Guardians of the Galaxy" trilogy. Marvel, on the other hand, is rebooting Fantastic Four, a franchise previously owned by 20th Century Fox before it was acquired by Disney in 2019.“They're both taking approaches that allow the viewer to come in on the ground floor without needing to know a lot of previous history about all of the previous installments to fully enjoy these new adaptations,” Davis said.The Hearst Television Data Team analyzed box office sales for both Marvel and DC, as well as data on the Superman and Fantastic Four franchises over time. "Superman" premieres in theaters on July 11, and "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" premieres on July 25.DC and Marvel movies over the past few decadesThe Hearst Television Data Team identified 75 movies based on Marvel comics and 30 movies based on DC comics that have been released in theaters since 2000 with available box office data. The analysis included animated movies. Box office data comes from The Numbers. The data team adjusted for inflation to make box office earnings comparable across all years analyzed. For example, when "X-Men" was released in 2000, it earned more than $296 million worldwide. The data team used the average consumer price index for that year and the consumer price index for May 2025 to calculate the value of the film's earnings in the present day, which would be $554 million. Following the 2008 release of "Iron Man," the majority of Marvel movies have been tied to a media behemoth, namely the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The 36 — soon to be 37 — films and countless TV shows all exist within the same world, or in this case, cinematic universe. Other movies based on Marvel comics and not in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are ones made by other studios, like Fantastic Four's previous owner, 20th Century Fox. Sony also owns the rights to Spider-Man, but has a deal with Marvel for the character to be a part of the MCU. For the time period analyzed, "Avengers: Endgame," released in 2019, had the highest worldwide box office earnings out of both companies, adjusted for inflation. At the time of its release, "Avengers: Endgame" earned $2.7 billion worldwide, which is worth $3.4 billion in 2025.Marvel holds the record for 8 of the 10 highest box office earnings between the two companies, with DC’s "The Dark Knight Rises" and "The Dark Knight" at the ninth and tenth highest.SupermanIt isn’t just you (or a bird, or a plane): Superman has seen the silver screen several times — nine to be exact, not including two director’s cuts released directly, either to DVD or streaming.After the release of "Superman" this month, five actors will have played Superman in live-action films as the titular character. The first adaptation was the 1951 "Superman and the Mole Men" with George Reeves, which later kicked off the TV show, "The Adventures of Superman."Not included in self-titled films are cameos, one of the most recent ones being a short clip of Nicolas Cage as Superman in 2023’s "The Flash." This film also featured CGI cameo clips of George Reeves and Christopher Reeve, which sparked ethical conversations about the use of technology to portray actors who have died.The Hearst Television Data Team analyzed box office data for all live-action Superman movies and found that the 1978 "Superman" with Christopher Reeve had the highest box office earnings when adjusted for inflation, earning more than $1.4 billion worldwide. Fantastic FourSimilar trends appear for the history of the Fantastic Four franchise in film, but with even fewer films.Including the July release, just three adaptations have been made, leading to four self-titled live-action films that have been released to theaters. Chris Evans, who played the Fantastic Four character Johnny Storm in 2005 and 2007, was featured in a cameo role in "Deadpool & Wolverine" in 2024. Meanwhile, John Krasinski, who had long been fancast as Dr. Reed Richards, was seen briefly in 2022’s "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," portraying the character.“That feels like an extra added attraction simply as a way to get you to go into the theater to see something new. It's a strategy that feels innovative right now, but I think if it becomes overused, it will feel tired in a matter of years if it is over that,” Davis said.The most successful Fantastic Four movie was the first 2005 release. But the July release might offer something for fans — a ticket back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, perhaps.As for the future of the comic book movie genre, Davis says it’s not about when they will die out, but what form they will take.“I think both Superman and Fantastic Four are a really good litmus test for the strength of the genre and where the genre is going to go in the future,” Davis said.PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=
The Fantastic Four and Superman franchises are returning to theaters. Again.
Marvel and DC will go head-to-head once more in the summer box office, just as both of the comic book movie companies usher in new eras.
Marvel and DC have taken very different paths over the past two decades in cinema, said Blair Davis, a professor in the College of Communication at DePaul University in Chicago.
This summer, things may change for the franchises.
“Both Marvel and DC this summer are sort of hitting the reset button on various franchises,” said Davis, who is an expert in comic book movies and comic studies.
"Superman" launches a new universe by director James Gunn, who also directed Marvel’s "Guardians of the Galaxy" trilogy. Marvel, on the other hand, is rebooting Fantastic Four, a franchise previously owned by 20th Century Fox before it was .
“They're both taking approaches that allow the viewer to come in on the ground floor without needing to know a lot of previous history about all of the previous installments to fully enjoy these new adaptations,” Davis said.
The Hearst Television Data Team analyzed box office sales for both Marvel and DC, as well as data on the Superman and Fantastic Four franchises over time. "Superman" premieres in theaters on July 11, and "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" premieres on July 25.
DC and Marvel movies over the past few decades
The Hearst Television Data Team identified 75 movies based on Marvel comics and 30 movies based on DC comics that have been released in theaters since 2000 with available box office data.
The analysis included animated movies. Box office data comes from . The data team adjusted for inflation to make box office earnings comparable across all years analyzed. For example, when "X-Men" was released in 2000, it earned more than $296 million worldwide. The data team used the average consumer price index for that year and the consumer price index for May 2025 to calculate the value of the film's earnings in the present day, which would be $554 million.
Following the 2008 release of "Iron Man," the majority of Marvel movies have been tied to a media behemoth, namely the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The 36 — soon to be 37 — films and countless TV shows all exist within the same world, or in this case, cinematic universe.
Other movies based on Marvel comics and not in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are ones made by other studios, like Fantastic Four's previous owner, 20th Century Fox. Sony also owns the rights to Spider-Man, but has a deal with Marvel for the character to be a part of the MCU.
For the time period analyzed, "Avengers: Endgame," released in 2019, had the highest worldwide box office earnings out of both companies, adjusted for inflation. At the time of its release, "Avengers: Endgame" earned $2.7 billion worldwide, which is worth $3.4 billion in 2025.
Marvel holds the record for 8 of the 10 highest box office earnings between the two companies, with DC’s "The Dark Knight Rises" and "The Dark Knight" at the ninth and tenth highest.
Superman
It isn’t just you (or a bird, or a plane): Superman has seen the silver screen several times — nine to be exact, not including two director’s cuts released directly, either to DVD or streaming.
After the release of "Superman" this month, five actors will have played Superman in live-action films as the titular character.
The first adaptation was the 1951 "Superman and the Mole Men" with George Reeves, which later kicked off the TV show, "The Adventures of Superman."
Not included in self-titled films are cameos, one of the most recent ones being a short clip of Nicolas Cage as Superman in 2023’s "The Flash." This film also featured CGI cameo clips of George Reeves and Christopher Reeve, which sparked about the use of technology to portray actors who have died.
The Hearst Television Data Team analyzed box office data for all live-action Superman movies and found that the 1978 "Superman" with Christopher Reeve had the highest box office earnings when adjusted for inflation, earning more than $1.4 billion worldwide.
Fantastic Four
Similar trends appear for the history of the Fantastic Four franchise in film, but with even fewer films.
Including the July release, just three adaptations have been made, leading to four self-titled live-action films that have been released to theaters.
Chris Evans, who played the Fantastic Four character Johnny Storm in 2005 and 2007, was featured in a cameo role in "Deadpool & Wolverine" in 2024. Meanwhile, John Krasinski, who had long been fancast as Dr. Reed Richards, was seen briefly in 2022’s "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," portraying the character.
“That feels like an extra added attraction simply as a way to get you to go into the theater to see something new. It's a strategy that feels innovative right now, but I think if it becomes overused, it will feel tired in a matter of years if it is over that,” Davis said.
The most successful Fantastic Four movie was the first 2005 release. But the July release might offer something for fans — a ticket back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, perhaps.
As for the future of the comic book movie genre, Davis says it’s not about when they will die out, but what form they will take.
“I think both Superman and Fantastic Four are a really good litmus test for the strength of the genre and where the genre is going to go in the future,” Davis said.
