As someone who has spent countless hours immersed in the vibrant worlds of comic books and animation, I must say this year has been a true delight for superhero enthusiasts like myself! The live-action films have certainly had their moments, but it’s the animated features that have truly stolen the show.
It’s not surprising that superhero films tend to have large production budgets due to their grand visual effects, extended run times, and high-profile cast members. These blockbuster productions, renowned for selling out cinemas and earning hundreds of millions worldwide, have been a consistent success until recently. In the last few years, however, audiences have begun to feel tired of continuous sequels and franchises, a phenomenon known as “superhero fatigue.” Additionally, some critics argue that the quality of these films has decreased in recent times.
2024 marked a shift in strategy for studios as they aimed to reduce the number of superhero films. Adopting the “fewer is better” philosophy, they produced less superhero content than any recent year, yet still managed to deliver quite a few blockbusters. These movies ranged from lesser-known critically acclaimed gems to high-profile flops that received negative reviews and underperformed commercially. Here’s a list of all the big-budget 2024 superhero films, ranked according to Rotten Tomatoes.
7 ‘Madame Web’ (2024)
11%
Madame Web narrates the backstory of Madame Webb (Johnson), a character who embarks on a mission to shield three upcoming Spider-Women from a malevolent, time-traveling Spider-Man who intends to eliminate them. Unfortunately, this is yet another generic superhero origin tale. It represents another attempt by Sony to capitalize on the Marvel franchise, as they struggle to generate success with this particular property. Despite the presence of notable stars like Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney, the movie failed to gain traction at the box office.
In terms of box office performance, Madame Web struggled significantly, pulling in just $100 million globally – an exceptionally low figure for a superhero film. Compared to its production budget of $80 million, it’s safe to say the movie didn’t fare well. Regrettably, Madame Web has earned the unwanted title as one of the poorest-performing films in 2024, with a dismal 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While its audience score of 56% is slightly more favorable, it still leaves a noticeable stain on the tomato.
6 ‘The Crow’ (2024)
22%
In 2024, “The Raven Reborn” will be a modern take on the 1994 cult favorite, originally starring Brandon Lee. Much like its predecessor, the story follows Eric (now portrayed by Bill Skarsgard), who along with his beloved, is brutally killed by a criminal group. However, fate intervenes and Eric returns as The Crow, a dark avenger equipped with extraordinary powers, seeking vengeance against those responsible for their deaths.
The movie titled “The Crow” struggled at the box office and received unfavorable reviews from critics, scoring only 22% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, against expectations, it performed better among viewers, earning a rating of 63% on the site.
5 ‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’ (2024)
37%
Over time, the Hellboy series has experienced some ups and downs. Initially, we were captivated by Guillermo del Toro’s cherished Hellboy duology. Afterward, a new version of Hellboy was introduced in 2019, which unfortunately received both poor reviews and disappointing box office results. Subsequently, another reboot, titled Hellboy: The Crooked Man, was released in 2024. This film is not widely known because it’s a Belgian production that was distributed directly to video-on-demand platforms in the United States.
Based on the small-scale comic book series titled “Hellboy: The Crooked Man“, this film finds its namesake protagonist in 1950s rural Appalachia, where he stumbles upon a coven of witches headed by a local devil who holds secrets from Hellboy’s past. Although it didn’t break box office records, it outperformed its predecessor significantly, scoring a 37% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes as compared to the dismal 17% of its earlier version. However, this is still far from the acclaim that Guillermo del Toro’s films have received.
4 ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ (2024)
41%
In “Venom: The Final Showdown”, we find ourselves with the symbiotic pair, Eddie (Tom Hardy) and Venom, in what is supposedly the concluding chapter of Sony’s “Venom” trilogy. Similar to other “Venom” films, it garnered unfavorable reviews from critics, scoring just 41% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, this didn’t deter fans, as they flocked to cinemas to watch “Venom: The Final Showdown”. Currently, it stands as the seventh highest-grossing film of 2024, earning $468 million globally.
The movie “Venom: The Last Dance” has been well-received by viewers, earning an audience score of 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. This is one of Sony’s rare successes in their Spider-Man Universe, outperforming the previously mentioned “Madame Web.
3 ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ (2024)
79%
The much-awaited movie featuring Deadpool and Wolverine was undeniably a standout in 2024 cinema. It truly lived up to expectations. In this action-packed adventure, the chatty, humorous anti-hero Deadpool embarks on a multiverse journey in search of the hero who can aid him in saving his universe – none other than Wolverine. This box-office smash welcomed Ryan Reynolds back as Deadpool, and most notably, it marked Hugh Jackman’s tenth portrayal of Wolverine. Moreover, this film finally dressed Jackman in the character’s iconic yellow suit and mask. To add an intriguing twist, this movie seamlessly incorporated these 21st-century characters into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The duo of Deadpool and Wolverine served as a much-needed revitalization for Marvel, proving to be incredibly successful after earning an impressive $1.3 billion globally. This made it the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever and the second-highest-grossing film of 2024. It wasn’t just popular among viewers, who gave it a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but also received positive reviews from critics with a score of 79%.
2 ‘Ultraman: Rising’
85%
If you’re not familiar with Ultraman, that’s the Ultra Series we’re talking about – a Japanese science fiction franchise that primarily revolves around an extraterrestrial superhero named Ultraman, who frequently battles monsters or aliens. In the 44th film of the series, titled “Ultraman: Rising“, instead of battling a monster, Ultraman finds himself in a unique situation where he must care for and safeguard a fire-breathing baby monster, shielding her from sinister intentions that aim to misuse her.
The animated series titled Ultraman: Rising first debuted at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, followed by a global release on Netflix in June. It garnered favorable responses from both critics and viewers, with a 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes among critics and an impressive 92% from audiences.
1 ‘My Hero Academia: You’re Next’ (2024)
94%
It appears that animated superhero movies performed significantly better than their live-action counterparts. The film “My Hero Academia: You’re Next” is an animated production inspired by the original storyline from the highly acclaimed manga and anime series, “My Hero Academia.” In this installment, our protagonist, Izuku Midoriya, a high school student, encounters a villain who has taken on the identity of his most respected hero.
Initially premiering in Japan during August, the movie “My Hero Academia: You’re Next” later made its way to American cinemas in October. This film garnered high praise from both critics and viewers, achieving an impressive rating of 94% and 91% on Rotten Tomatoes respectively.
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2024-12-06 05:02