Hollywood action movies lose box-office punch
When Hollywood's summer movie season kicks off on Friday, theatre owners will be counting on the high-heeled women of 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' instead of cape-wearing superheroes to draw audiences to the cineplex.
For the past two decades, the first weekend in May has featured a superhero movie or other high-octane adventure on the big screen. Walt Disney had planned to release 'Avengers: Doomsday' in the slot this year but swapped in 'Prada 2', a comedy starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, when the filmmakers needed more time on the Marvel film.
The move is expected to pay off with a strong opening for 'Prada', box office analysts said. It also coincides with a decline in box office power for action films, according to an analysis of US and Canadian box office receipts by TD Cowen analyst Doug Creutz.
In 2025, Creutz said, 'Superman', 'F1' and other action/adventure movies accounted for 35% of ticket sales from the top 100 films. That tied for the lowest share since 2010 and marked the third year in a row in the mid-30% range.
Disney's Marvel superhero movies and Universal's 'Fast & Furious' racing films, among others, attracted large audiences to theatres in the 2010s. As recently as 2022, action movies brought in 56% of domestic box office dollars, lifted by Tom Cruise's 'Top Gun: Maverick'.
The number of action films released in theatres has remained steady at about 25 annually for more than a decade.
Part, but not all, of the sales decline may be related to lower quality, Creutz said. But even films with positive reviews from critics have pulled in fewer box office dollars than in years past, he added.
"It appears audiences are no longer as eager to see even good superhero films as they were pre-pandemic," Creutz said in a research note. Family films, by contrast, are on the rise, as are horror movies. Recent hits have included 'Lilo & Stitch', 'Zootopia 2' and 'The Super Mario Bros Movie'.
Theatre owners said genre popularity is cyclical. The key to success, they said, is offering a wide range of movies throughout the year.
"We need more dramas and comedies," said Greg Marcus, president and CEO of The Marcus Corporation, operator of the fourth-largest theatre chain in the US. "They say nobody goes to dramas or comedies anymore. It's because they aren't actually making anything in those genres to go to."
And action movies still pull in crowds. Box office analysts are bullish on summer releases, including 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' and the 'Star Wars' film 'The Mandalorian and Grogu', as well as the delayed 'Avengers: Doomsday', which is scheduled for December. The last 'Avengers' movie, 2019's 'Avengers: Endgame', generated $1.9 billion in global ticket sales to become the second-highest-grossing film of all time.
'Prada 2' could make a case for more genre diversity in theatres, said Shawn Robbins, director of movie analytics for ticket seller Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory. He expects the film to bring in at least $70 million in domestic ticket sales this weekend, providing a strong start to the summer season, which runs through Labour Day and typically accounts for 40% of the year's box office.
"I guarantee there are a lot of people hoping it's the new normal," Robbins said, noting a desire for more films outside the action genre. "It doesn't have to be just one genre that launches moviegoing into a very lucrative season."