Let’s see how it played out in cinemas in 2025. Tom Cruise defied death to pull off jaw-dropping stunts in what could be his final Mission: Impossible film, yet he appears to have been outperformed at the box office by a mischievous furry alien. Marvel Studios, once considered box office gold, released two major titles this year - one being a Captain America film and the other touted as one of Marvel’s best since Avengers: Endgame. Yet, both underperformed. ‘Thank You for Unwavering Support’: Tom Cruise Thanks Fans as ‘Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning’ Is Off to a Great Start.

Surprisingly, 2025 was also the year a violent, black vampire musical thriller in Sinners became a global hit. It was the same year A Minecraft Movie turned into the biggest blockbuster, attracting rowdy crowds that even prompted cinemas to issue behavioural advisories.

Yet we worry when major films, released with high expectations, fail to deliver financially. Some were even well-reviewed, but bloated budgets made turning a profit nearly impossible.

Here are seven Hollywood releases from 2025 that underperformed at the box office. While not all are outright flops - a couple of them can call themselves 'safe'and one is still going strong in theatres - each came with significant expectations, budget, and fanfare - only to fall short commercially.

1. Wolf Man

A Still From Wolf Man

Budget: USD 25 million

Worldwide Gross: USD 34.8 million

After the success of The Invisible Man, Universal hoped to continue its once-shelved Dark Universe with Wolf Man. Directed by Leigh Whannell and starring talented actors like Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner, the film came with high expectations. However, it received mixed reviews - especially for its pacing - and failed to make an impact at the box office.

2. Captain America: Brave New World

A Still From Captain America: Brave New World

Budget: USD 180 million

Worldwide Gross: USD 415 million

Marvel, once dominant at the global box office with multiple billion-dollar hits, is experiencing a slump. Following the massive failure of The Marvels, Captain America: Brave New World barely fared better than Eternals, despite being the fourth Captain America film and the first to feature Red Hulk. Reports suggest the movie needed USD 400 million just to break even - it has only just scraped past that figure.

3. The Accountant 2

A Still From The Accountant 2

Budget: USD 80 million

Worldwide Gross: USD 100 million

The sequel to The Accountant brought back Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal and earned generally positive reviews. Though it performed reasonably well for its genre, surpassing USD 100 million, its production costs raised the break-even threshold to an estimated USD 150 million - a figure it seems unlikely to reach.

4. Mickey 17

A Still From Mickey 17

Budget: USD 118 million

Worldwide Gross: USD 131.8 million

Mickey 17, Bong Joon-ho’s third English-language film and his first since the Oscar-winning Parasite, carried immense expectations. While it received decent reviews and Robert Pattinson’s performance was praised, the film failed to recoup its production budget through theatrical earnings, making it a major box office disappointment.

5. Snow White

A Still From Snow White

Budget: USD 270 million

Worldwide Gross: USD 205.4 million

This live-action remake was mired in controversy from the start. Its poor box office performance reportedly prompted Disney to reconsider future live-action projects - though the recent success of Lilo & Stitch may help rebuild confidence at the studio. ‘Snow White’ Box Office Verdict – Hit or Flop: Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot’s Movie Struggles With One of Disney’s Lowest Live-Action Openings.

PS: The following two films are still in theatres, but early trends have already raised concerns among fans and industry watchers.

6. Thunderbolts*

A Still From Thunderbolts

Budget: USD 180 million

Worldwide Gross: USD 357.4 million

Thunderbolts gave a glimmer of hope to Marvel fans weary of recent misfires. The film received a warm critical response and was seen as a morale boost for the floundering MCU. However, franchise fatigue and overexposure have dampened audience turnout, and not even changing its name to The New Avengers helped much. With a break-even point around USD 400 million, the film is currently struggling to cross that line.

7. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

A Still From Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Budget: USD 400 million

Worldwide Gross: USD 206 million

We hear your protests - yes, it might feel too soon to include Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning here. It only released in the US on May 23, 2025, with a staggered release in other territories, including India, a week earlier. The film is performing respectably, but given its massive budget, it reportedly needs to gross at least a billion dollars to break even. While MI8 is still running in theatres, Lilo & Stitch, which released on the same day, has already emerged as a success. Ethan Hunt’s possible final mission is still far from reaching the success it was expected to achieve - heartbreaking as that may be. Unless, of course, China comes to the rescue.

Please note: we are evaluating these films' success or failure based purely on their theatrical performance. Some titles may ultimately turn a profit through residuals, home entertainment, and streaming rights.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 28, 2025 11:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).