The X-Men film series under Fox Studios experienced its fair share of highs and lows, with one significant shift taking place around the time frame of . When Fox started producing X-Men films back in 2000, the studio struck gold with their popular comic book adaptations. Not only did these movies captivate audiences and generate substantial revenue, but they also launched several actors into iconic status, including Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, and Patrick Stewart as Professor X.
As the series progressed and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) surpassed it in popularity, 20th Century Fox struggled to keep up. Following a faltering Wolverine trilogy, they managed to regain success with their rebooted universe and produced an all-time box office hit, X-Men: Days of Future Past. However, the story didn’t always go smoothly for Fox. In the end, this turbulence resulted in the last two films from the studio being among the least well-received and most financially disappointing of the entire series.
Dark Phoenix Is One Of The Most Controversial Movies In Fox’s X-Men Roster
Dark Phoenix Took The Reboot Franchise To A Weird Conclusion
In 2019, the fourth and final installment in the rebooted X-Men series, titled Dark Phoenix, was met with unfavorable reception upon its debut. Given that Disney took over Fox, and the movie retold a narrative similar to X-Men: The Last Stand in a less convincing manner, it seemed unusual as a conclusion for the series. Consequently, this film is recognized as the lowest-rated title from Fox’s X-Men Universe ever, earning only a 22% score from critics, making it a frequent target of criticism and dissection.
It’s worth noting that many criticisms seemed valid, but the movie still managed to garner a 64% approval rating from audiences (on Rotten Tomatoes). There was usually a gap between the professional critics’ views and those of the audience, as was the case here. Critics were often disappointed by the movie’s unfulfilled promises, repetition of past elements, and disconnected cast. However, the public seemed content with the film’s intense action sequences, grand narrative, and this installment’s conclusion, which was deemed an acceptable addition to the series. This positive reception is further demonstrated by the film’s impressive box office performance.
Dark Phoenix Still Made Over Five Times The New Mutants’ Worldwide Box Office
The New Mutants Is Marvel’s Worst Box Office Performer Of All Time
The film “Dark Phoenix” garnered approximately $246 million at the box office. Compared to other superhero movies which have grossed anywhere from half a billion to nearly three billion dollars, this may appear modest. However, for the Fox X-Men universe, it’s only slightly less than films like X-Men, X-Men: First Class, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (according to The Numbers). On the other hand, “The New Mutants,” released a year later in 2020, managed just $47 million, making it the lowest-grossing film in that series by far. In fact, it’s the smallest amount ever earned by a Marvel movie released in theaters.
| Movie | Production Budget | Box Office |
| X-Men: Dark Phoenix | $200,000,000 | $246,356,895 |
| The New Mutants | $67,000,000 | $47,535,251 |
Compared to Dark Phoenix, The New Mutants fell short in terms of box office earnings despite having a much smaller production budget. Although Dark Phoenix had a budget approximately three times larger than The New Mutants, it only made around $45 million more, and considering the marketing costs for both films, The New Mutants didn’t even cover its expenses.
Why Dark Phoenix Made So Much More Than The New Mutants
Fox Prioritized Dark Phoenix Massively Compared To The New Mutants
Although there’s a significant gap in overall profits, there are valid explanations for the final earnings. To put it simply, the film “Dark Phoenix” concluded a four-part series that garnered a dedicated fanbase. Despite receiving unfavorable reviews from critics, audiences responded more favorably to the movie. However, it didn’t meet expectations and cost the studio money. Yet, the outcome was not a complete disaster. This could be due in part to the marketing efforts for the film, which “The New Mutants” lacked.
The problem with “The New Mutants” is that the filming was completed back in 2017, but there were intentions to go back for reshoots. However, Disney’s acquisition of Fox was already in progress, and “The New Mutants” lost priority as a result. After almost three years of being stored away, the studio opted to release the movie, but with a less-than-satisfactory version of the story and minimal promotional efforts. Despite its promising plot, “The New Mutants” had the potential to introduce a new superhero team in Fox’s “X-Men” universe earlier, but unfortunately, it was released at an unfortunate time, which negatively impacted its box office performance.
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2025-04-22 04:31