DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran has revealed his hopes for Marvel Studios' box office returns ahead of the release of Avengers: Doomsday in December. Marvel and DC have long been comic book rivals, and that competition has carried over to the big screen as both companies pursue the creation of cinematic universes featuring their prominent superheroes and villains. DC Studios recently underwent a reset when the old DCEU was rebooted to make way for the new DCU to emerge under the guidance of James Gunn and Safran, and now that vision is in full swing.
Despite both the MCU and the DCU appealing to similar audiences and the recurring concerns of superhero fatigue, Safran told the BBC he felt the competition between the two studios was healthy. "That which unites comic book fans is much greater than that which divides us," Safran shared on the Supergirl red carpet. Safran added they were actually "keeping our fingers crossed," for Marvel Studios to "have a great winter," with the release of Avengers: Doomsday. The studio head put aside any competitiveness, saying, "We want Marvel to do great."
"So we want Marvel to do great. And obviously James had his start at Marvel. And so we're keeping our fingers crossed that they have a great winter."
Marvel Studios and DC Studios are both currently in a stage where they each have multiple releases planned each year. 2025 saw Marvel release Thunderbolts*, Captain America: Brave New World, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, several of which underperformed financially by MCU standards. DC Studios also kick-started its DCU plans in earnest in 2025 with the release of a new live-action Superman film.
That back-and-forth of superhero film releases continues in 2026, with DC Studios having just released Supergirl, which is not off to a great start at the box office, and later releasing the body-horror movie Clayface. Marvel Studios also has a pair of releases in 2026: Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31 and Avengers: Doomsday in December, both of which are expected to be box-office giants.
While Avengers: Doomsday is the sole superhero release at the tail end of 2026, Supergirl and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, released only four weeks apart, will compete at the summer box office. Nevertheless, DC Studios is looking at its perceived rivalry with Marvel Studios with positivity, approaching it more from a rising-tide-lifts-all-boats mentality.
Avengers: Doomsday's Success Could Benefit DC Studios
Avengers: Doomsday's December release makes it the only superhero movie in a three-month radius, and for good reason: it could be one of the biggest releases of the year, marking the first Avengers film since Avengers: Endgame in 2019 (which became the highest-grossing film of all time).
Avengers: Doomsday could be a redemption for a very tumultuous era of financial hits and misses for the MCU. If Doomsday becomes a box-office smash and earns back fans' trust, it will be a good thing for the superhero movie landscape and should inject fresh energy into the comic book movie fandom, which will also benefit DC Studios and its films.
Heading into 2027, this could be the boost that DC Studios needs as it builds out its superhero cinematic universe. The studio has two major releases on the docket for next year, one being its own major crossover film in Man of Tomorrow, which will feature the return of Superman's David Corenswet, Supergirl's Milly Alcock, and Lanterns' Aaron Pierre. If Avengers: Doomsday proves to be a success, it could reignite fan excitement in crossover movies, and Man of Tomorrow can maintain that hype by sitting between the release of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
DC Studios also has its long-awaited follow-up to Matt Reeves' The Batman, The Batman: Part 2, set for release in October next year. The Batman was a big winner for DC in 2022, earning over $700 million at the box office. Setting The Batman Part 2 as the big superhero fall release in 2027 will hopefully maintain momentum and give fans a run of legendary comic book movie releases from both Marvel and DC Studios in the next few years.
