The Marvel Cinematic Universe is among the biggest franchises in the history of Hollywood, but even though films from Captain Marvel to ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine have been able to make obscene amounts of money in recent years, Marvel’s biggest flop was not all that long ago. With so many Marvel characters appearing in movies and TV, each one now seems designed to print money. However, reviewing the box office history of one character in particular, this was not always the case.

Some of the biggest Marvel successes and failures have been surprising. While films like The New Mutants were not put forward for great success, others like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels were hoped to be among Marvel’s biggest hits. Instead, these films suffered for various reasons that only became clear in hindsight. The movie business is a complex and constantly changing field, with many surprises to behold. However, one film’s notable failure is still quite shocking when compared to the rest of Marvel.

Punisher: War Zone Is Marvel’s Lowest-Grossing Movie

The Ray Stevenson-Starring Film Made Only A Little More Than $10 Million

Punisher: War Zone saw the late Ray Stevenson take on the role of Frank Castle, with the antihero going on a splurge of violent vigilante justice. While the film holds a 29% Rotten rating by critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and only a 42% audience score, many celebrated its production for its brutal and intense violence. However, none of this was enough for the film to find box office success, with Punisher: War Zone making just over $10 million in its theatrical run.

As only four Marvel films have made less that $100 million at the box office, this cumulative total is incredibly disappointing. On a budget of $35 million, and following the $54 million gross of the previous The Punisher film, it is clear that this reboot to the Marvel character was hoped to make much more. Instead, the film’s failure makes even such disastrous results as the box office totals of The New Mutants and Elektra look far more satisfying by comparison.

Punisher: War Zone’s Box Office Results Seem Far Stranger Looking Back Now

Everything About The Film Seems Promising From A Modern Lens

To this day, people love the character of the Punisher. The comic books are beloved, and audiences have connected with Frank Castle in interesting and complex ways since the character first debuted in 1974. With Jon Bernthal’s more recent take on the character spinning off into his own Netflix series, and with memorable appearances in Daredevil: Born Again, the character seems to be beloved. Considering the upcoming Punisher spinoff special and the interest in it, it is shocking that this film performed so poorly.

In addition, R-rated superhero movies have come to find great success in the modern era. The box office returns of all three of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool films, especially the staggering performance of ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine, alongside the excellent success of Logan, show that R-rated superhero movies can find great success at the box office. Looking back, this makes it even stranger to consider how brutally War Zone wound up faring at the worldwide box office, seeming directly counter to many proven audience interests.

I’m Convinced A Modern Punisher Movie’s Box Office Would Fare Far Better Than Punisher: War Zone

Interest In The Character Has Only Grown

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has changed everything, with lesser-known heroes like Captain Marvel able to gross a billion dollars on the back of their franchise. With this in mind, characters like The Punisher would almost ᴀssuredly perform better in feature films today. While the character’s darkness and angst may not result in a billion-dollar film, the thought of a Punisher movie making less than $100 million in today’s market seems absurd. Especially with a star like Jon Bernthal attached, the film could reach great heights.

It is not surprising, after the grosses of The Punisher and Punisher: War Zone, that Marvel would instead develop a Disney+ special for Punisher rather than another feature film. However, I believe that this might be misguided. Punisher is a more popular character now than he ever was, and giving the hero a feature film, even with a lower budget than typical Marvel fare, would be a great way to highlight his character in a new way. Relegating his story to only Disney+ specials could wind up being a significant mistake.

The Punisher is an important part of the Marvel Comics canon, and it is necessary that his character be a bigger part of the street-level stories in the franchise. With Jon Bernthal reinterpreting the character for a contemporary audience, it is hard to imagine how such a compelling antihero yielded such disappointing box office failures. Still, even with the failure of Punisher: War Zone, I believe that the future for Frank Castle in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will only grow brighter in the coming years.

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