We knew X-Men: Dark Phoenix was a flop, but it's only just become clear how big a flop it really was.
The Simon Kinberg-directed movie was marketed as the final installment in 20th Century Fox's X-Men franchise, but after several delays resulting from the acquisition of the studio's assets, it ended up being released under the Disney umbrella - and it cost them a lot of cash.
According to Deadline, Dark Phoenix was the biggest box office bomb of 2019, losing more money than any other movie released in theaters that year. With a $200 Million budget, the much-maligned mutant adventure ultimately wound up losing over $133 Million.
Honestly, the movie really wasn't that bad, but the majority of critics tore it to shreds and fans simply didn't seem to be interested in a redo of the Dark Phoenix Saga after it had already been mined for The Last Stand. Some of the blame can also be attributed to a lousy marketing campaign, not to mention the fact that the film was originally conceived as a two-part epic.
It's all moot now, of course, because the rights have reverted back to Marvel Studios and we will see all-new interpretations of these iconic characters in The MCU at some point. Still, it would have been nice to see this franchise go out on a high.
What did you guys think of Dark Phoenix? Not surprised it flopped, or do you feel it deserved better?
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.