6 Movies From 2026 So Far That Deserved So Much Better At The Box Office

Other 2026 box office hits include book adaptations like Ryan Gosling's Project Hail Mary, and low-budget horror movies like Obsession and Backrooms, both of which shocked the world with their impressive runs, especially the former. That said, there are also many films that showed a lot of promise before they arrived in theaters, but did not end up having the box office to match that.

Sure, some films ended up not being as great as expected. That happens, and it is okay for their theatrical performance to dip. However, quite a few movies in that category ended up performing like they were universally panned, when they were actually just fine. Additionally, there have been 2026 movies so far that over-delivered on expectations, but the crowds just never showed up.

With all of those factors in mind, this list analyzes six movies released in 2026 that ended up failing at the box office. Some of these deserved to be box office hits, having since found their audience on streaming, where they have become global sensations, while others should have at least broken even, rather than losing their studios millions.

6 Supergirl

First up is the only DC movie released in theaters in 2026 so far. Before Supergirl was released, expectations were high for the superhero movie. Not only was it a follow-up to James Gunn's Superman movie, which was one of 2025's biggest success stories, but it also adapted Tom King's Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic book series, which stands to many as the best story for Kara Zor-El on the pages of DC Comics.

Supergirl ended up a disappointment, bringing in only $126 million against a reported budget of $170 million, making DC lose a considerable sum. While I agree that the superhero movie was forgettable and just fine, Milly Alcock's performance as the Girl of Steel is instantly one of the most enticing in the DCU, Jason Momoa was clearly having a blast as Lobo, Ruthye was a charming companion for Supergirl, and seeing David Corenswet's Superman pop up again was a treat. Supergirl should have broken even.

5 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

Things are not looking too good for director Danny Boyle's 28 Years Later franchise. The first movie in the planned trilogy, 28 Years Later, grossed $151 million, but its nonsensical ending, with the introduction of tracksuit ninjas in an apocalypse, impacted the sequel's performance. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is a much better film, and those who have seen it have said as much, as the sequel stands at a stellar 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, while 28 Years Later is at 63%.

That said, the damage was already done, and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple ended its theatrical run with just $58.5 million worldwide, becoming a box office bomb against its $63 million budget. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple deserved better, as it goes deeper than just survival to deliver an emotionally and philosophically complex sequel. Ralph Fiennes pumps this brutal film with so much humanity and tenderness.

4 Disclosure Day

Disclosure Day marked the long-awaited return of a sci-fi master to the genre, as Steven Spielberg explored how the world would deal with the reveal that aliens exist and that we are not alone. Aside from having one of the best directors of all time at the helm, an intriguing story, and impressive visuals, Disclosure Day comes with a star-studded cast. The film stars Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor as the duo trying to reveal the government cover-up, with Colin Firth hunting them down to stop the secrets from getting out.

Other names include Wyatt Russell, Colman Domingo, Eve Hewson, and more. Disclosure Day finished its box office run with $241.3 million against a budget of $115 million. As such, the sci-fi movie finished within its target range of $230 million to $287.5 million to break even. That said, Disclosure Day had enough going for it to merit a positive box office performance, rather than just a middling one.

3 Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu is the movie that finally brought the most iconic sci-fi franchise of all time back to the big screen for the first time since 2019. However, in recent years, it has become a common thing to heavily criticize most of what the Star Wars franchise puts out. Pedro Pascal's The Mandalorian and Grogu ended up grossing $345.8 million worldwide. Based on the sci-fi movie's hefty budget of $165 million, it needed to finish between $330 million and $412.5 million to break even.

For a project Lucasfilm hoped would be a hit, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu ended up a box office disappointment, even if it did not bomb. The truth of the matter is that the film plays out like an extended episode of the Disney+ TV show that originated this corner of the franchise. Given how beloved The Mandalorian is, and how the Star Wars movie delivers on the fan-favorite aspects of the show, like Mando and Grogu's fun dynamic, action-packed sequences, exploration of other worlds, and emotional twists, the movie deserved a more positive box office finish.

2 The End Of Oak Street

The End Of Oak Street could still end up changing its standing at the box office, given how it was released in theaters on August 14. That said, at a current total of $94.9 million against a budget of $85 million, it is not showing the box office legs to break even and turn a profit. That is a shame, as I believe The End of Oak Street might just be the best live-action dinosaur movie outside the Jurassic Park franchise, and it even beats quite a few of the releases in the Spielberg franchise.

The End Of Oak Street has that classic 1980s Amblin feel, exploring a sci-fi twist that sees an entire neighborhood transported to a time when dinosaurs ran rampant, which leads to plenty of violent deaths and unnerving sequences. That said, The End Of Oak Street grounds all the dinosaur action and horror in a moving story about a family that starts breaking apart but finds its way back together. With strong performances from Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, incredible tension, pitch-perfect dinosaur VFX, and more, The End Of Oak Street deserved to be a box office hit.

1 Masters Of The Universe

Masters of the Universe is the movie that deserved a better performance the most out of the entries on the list. With a reported budget of $170 million and just $113.8 million by the end of its box office run, the fantasy epic was a flop. However, the 2026 version of Masters of the Universe holds a stellar 85% audience score, and it offers one of 2026's most entertaining experiences. The cast is clearly having fun in their roles, especially Jared Leto as Skeletor, who easily delivers his best performance in years in the He-Man adaptation. Leto is absolutely hilarious.

Most of those who watched Masters of the Universe loved the new fantasy movie, it is just a matter that a lot of them did not show up in theaters for it. Masters of the Universe deserved to be one of the year's biggest box office hits, and its streaming performance is the perfect example of that. The fantasy epic is currently the 3rd most-watched movie on Prime Video worldwide, according to FlixPatrol, and before that, it dominated the streamer's global charts for over a month. As such, among 2026's theatrical releases, it is the one that most deserved better at the box office.

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  Supergirl

  

  6/10

  Release Date June 26, 2026

  Runtime 108 minutes

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  Disclosure Day

  

  9/10

  Release Date June 12, 2026

  Runtime 145 Minutes

  Cast

  • 
  • 

    Josh O'Connor

    Daniel Kellner