Superhero movies fromMarvelandDChave been released in the same month seven times previously, and July 2025 will mark the eighth. Marvel and DC have often been considered to be in competition, and this has never been more evident as it is when movies from both studios are released within weeks of each other. Even outside theMCUand the newly-rebootedDC Universe, Marvel and DC have often competed directly for the top rankings, and the highest-grossing movies of those months have varied massively.
The first timeMarvel and DC released moviesin the same month was back in 2011, and since then, six more pairs have been released very close to each other. 2025 will mark the eighth time this has occurred, asthe DCU’sSupermanreboot and the MCU’sThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsreboot will both be released in July. While the studios wait to see which franchise will come out on top in 2025, it’s worth looking back at whetherMarvel or DC has been more successfulwhen directly competing in the past.
8X-Men: First Class & Green Lantern
X-Men: First Class Won In June 2011
Released on June 3 and June 03, 2025, respectively,X-Men: First ClassandGreen Lanternwere both set outside the mainstream superhero franchises of the MCU and the then-yet-to-begin DCEU.First Classwas the fifth movie in20th Century Fox’sX-Menfranchise, and was the first prequel movie in what would become the franchise’s revised timelines.First Class’connection to the widerX-Menfranchise, more-star-filled cast and better overall quality surely contributed to the movie’s higher successwhen compared toGreen Lantern.
Ryan Reynolds had previously appeared as Wade Wilson in 2009’sX-Men Origins: Wolverinebefore starring inGreen Lantern, he later reinvented the character of Deadpool in a far-more-successful eponymous 2016 movie.
On a budget of between $140 and 160 million,X-Men: First Classearned $353 million at the global box office, whileGreen Lanternonly brought in $237.2 millionon a budget of $200 million.Warner Bros. originally planned for the Ryan Reynolds-ledGreen Lanternto kick off DC’s live-action superhero franchise, but these plans were scrapped after the movie underperformed. It has since been regarded as one of the worst superhero movies ever, whileX-Men: First Classis considered to be one of Fox’s best.
7The Dark Knight Rises & The Amazing Spider-Man
The Dark Knight Rises Won In July 2012
A year afterX-Men: First ClassbeatGreen Lantern,it was DC who took the top spot when 2012’sThe Dark Knight Risesand Sony’sThe Amazing Spider-Manwent head-to-head.The Dark Knight Rises, released on July 20, marked the end ofChristopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, as Christian Bale’s Batman went up against Tom Hardy’s Bane.The Dark Knight Risesracked up a whopping $1.115 billion at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing Batman movie to dateand the seventh-highest-grossing movie ever at its time of release.
10 Things Only Chris Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy Did With Batman
Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy did many things with Batman in its three-film arc that no other adaptation has been able to achieve.
Marc Webb’sThe Amazing Spider-Man, which hit theaters on June 05, 2025, put up a strong fight, totaling $758.7 million at the global box office. However,Andrew Garfield’s debut as Spider-Mansimply couldn’t live up to the popularity and anticipation for Nolan’s third installment in his Dark Knight Trilogy.In the years since, there have even been calls for Nolan to return to the Batman franchise, though this seems very unlikely, since Nolan always planned to only make a trilogy. Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man has achieved his own success, and has also been the subject of return speculation.
6Thor: Ragnarok & Justice League
Thor: Ragnarok Won In November 2017
November 2017 marked the first time the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Extended Universe had gone head-to-head, asThor: RagnarokandJustice Leaguewere released on November 3 and 17, respectively. One would have thought thatJustice League, which brought together Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash and Cyborg for the first time on-screen, would have performed better. However,it was Taika Waititi’s directorial debut in the MCU that won the top spot, withRagnarokgrossing $855 million at the box office, making it the most successfulThormovie to date.
2011
$449.3 million
2013
$644.8 million
2017
$855 million
Thor: Love and Thunder
2022
Taika Waititi
$760.9 million
In comparison, with its $300 million budget againstRagnarok’s$180 million,Justice Leagueonly totaled $661.3 million at the box office. Behind the scenes shake-ups during theproduction ofJustice Leaguecould be to blamed, including Zack Snyder’s sudden departure, Joss Whedon’s transformative reshoots and abusive behavior allegations made by Cyborg actor Ray Fisher against Whedon and DC Films executive Walter Hamada.Justice Leaguewas a major disappointment for Warner Bros., whileThor: Ragnarokcompletely revitalized Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder, so it was an easy win.
5Aquaman & Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (& Once Upon A Deadpool)
Aquaman Won In December 2018
The DCEU’s only win came in December 2018, at what some would argue was the height of superhero movie popularity, with projects such asAvengers: Infinity War, Black PantherandDeadpool 2storming the box office. However, when going up against Sony’s animated spectacular,Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,James Wan’sAquamanruled the roost.WhileAquamanwas polarizing, it racked up $1.152 billion at the box office, blowingInto the Spider-Verse’s$394 million out of the water, though the latter was made on a much smaller budget.
Once Upon a Deadpoolis an edited PG-13 version of 2018’sDeadpool 2that was re-released in December 2018, but only grossed $51.3 million worldwide on top ofDeadpool 2’s$785 million box office total.
Aquamanbenefited from being released in the 2018 to 2019 window of superhero success, and was marketed extremely well, which surely contributed to the movie’s huge success. Jason Momoa’s sophomore solo DCEU movie as Arthur Curry, 2023’sAquaman and the Lost Kingdom, didn’t even see half its predecessor’s success.Sony’sSpider-Versefranchise, however, has gone from strength to strength, with a sequel crossing the $690 million mark, and becoming Sony Animation’s highest-grossing movie, and a third movie being highly anticipated.
4Avengers: Endgame & Shazam!
Avengers: Endgame Won In April 2019
While April 2019’sShazam!was a success story for the DCEU, it paled in comparison to the behemoth that is the MCU’sAvengers: Endgame. Released on July 12, 2025,Avengers: Endgamemarked the culmination of over a decade of storytelling in the MCU, with almost every actor reprising their superhero role for the last stand against the Mad Titan, Thanos. It’s no wonderEndgametotaled $2.799 billion at the box office, not only becoming the MCU’s highest-grossing movie, but becoming the highest-grossing movie ever prior toAvatar’s 2021 re-release.
Avengers Endgame Killed The MCU - How Marvel’s $2.8B Finale Broke Kevin Feige’s Machine
Avengers: Endgame was a fantastic conclusion to the Infinity Saga; however, the movie ended up completely changing the MCU for the worse.
Granted,Shazam!was made on a far smaller budget thanAvengers: Endgame, but its $367.8 million box office total seems insignificant when compared to the MCU’s penultimate Infinity Saga movie. Even so,Shazam!received a positive reception and was considered a success for Warner Bros., but this prompted a lackluster sequel to enter development. Conversely,Avengers: Endgameis still widely considered the peak of the MCU, though the upcomingAvengers: DoomsdayandSecret Wars have the potential to match and even beat their predecessor’s success.
3Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse & The Flash
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse Won In June 2023
WhileAquamanmight have bestedSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Versein December 2018, the latter’s sequel won the top spot when going up againstThe Flashin June 2023. After the success of the original 2018 movie,Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Versewas highly anticipated, which helped to bolster its box office total to a strong $690.8 million, making it Sony’s highest-grossing animated movie.The Flash, on the other hand, became one of the biggest box office bombs in history, totaling only $271.4 million on a budget between $200 and $220 million.
Due to high production and marketing costs,The Flashwas reported to have lost Warner Bros. over $200 million, which is one of the biggest losses in cinema history.
The Flash’smonumental flop was attributed to legal troubles surrounding lead actor Ezra Miller, the fact that new DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn had already revealed plans to reboot DC’s live-action franchise, and the disappointing DCEU releases in the months prior.The five-year gap betweenInto the Spider-VerseandAcross the Spider-Versehad the opposite effect, however, as audiences couldn’t wait to see Miles Morales back in action.Sony’sSpider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Versewill end the trilogy, but surely won’t be the end for Miles Morales' Spider-Man.
2Venom: The Last Dance & Joker: Folie À Deux
Venom: The Last Dance Won In October 2024
In recent years, there has been a noticeable shift in audience attitudes toward superhero movies, and this could have contributed to neitherVenom: The Last DancenorJoker: Folie à Deuxperforming massively well at the box office.The Last Dancemarked a small success for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, totaling $479 million on a budget of $120 million, but this did nothing to stop the ultimatedemise of the SSU followingKraven the Hunter’sdisappointing releaselast December.The Last Dancestill won the day in October 2024, however, asJoker: Folie à Deux’s performance was even more dire.
2018
$856.1 million
2021
$506.8 million
2024
Kelly Marcel
$479 million
On a budget of $200 million, considerably more than its billion dollar predecessor from 2019, Todd Phillips’Joker: Folie à Deuxonly earned $207.5 million worldwide. Theresponse toFolie à Deuxwas mixed, with its indie style and subversive storyline polarizing fans of the titular DC Comics supervillain.Venom: The Last Dancebid a fond farewell to Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock and the Venom Symbiote, at least, so wasn’t such a sorry end for the character’s arc. Even so, it seems neitherVenom: The Last DancenorJoker: Folie à Deuxwill be getting direct sequels.
1Superman & The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Superman Releases July 11 & The Fantastic Four: First Steps Releases July 25
July 2025 will mark the next occurrence of Marvel and DC movies releasing in the same month, asJuly 11’sSupermanand July 25’sThe Fantastic Four: First Stepswill be going up against one another. James Gunn’sSupermanwill release as the first feature filmin the newly-rebooted DC Universe, with a new vibrancy and injection of hope in David Corenswet’s new Man of Steel. Similarly, Matt Shakman’sThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsis moving on from Fox’s past mistakes with Marvel’s First Family, so these two reboots could benefit from releasing near each other.
Supermanwill introduce David Corenswet’s Clark Kent already on Earth, working at the Daily Planet and operating as the superhero Superman. James Gunn has designed a newDC Universe already full of iconic superheroes, including the likes of Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, Batman and Wonder Woman, some of whom were glimpsed in the animatedCreature Commandosseries.Superman’srelease will set the tone for the DCU going forward, so a lot rides on the reboot being a success, but the movie’s first trailer spells good news for the Kryptonian hero’s reinvention.
The Fantastic Four has also seen a new burst of anticipation following the release of the first teaser trailer.20th Century Fox made several blunders and alterations when trying to bring the Fantastic Four into live-action in 2005, 2007 and 2015, but Matt Shakman and Marvel Studios appear to have solved these problems, adapting a morecomic-accurate Fantastic Fourwhile fitting perfectly in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. It remains to be seen whetherMarvelorDCwill come out on top in July, but the side-by-side releases ofSupermanandThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsare very exciting nonetheless.
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