Theaters bet on 'Devil Wears Prada 2' as action movies lose box-office punch

When Hollywood's summer movie season kicks off on Friday, theater owners will ​be counting on the high-heeled women of "The Devil Wears Prada 2" instead of cape-wearing superheroes to draw audiences to the ‌cineplex, according to Reuters.

For the past two decades, the first weekend in May featured a superhero movie or other high-octane adventure on the big screen. 

Walt Disney had planned to release "Avengers: Doomsday" in the slot this year but swapped in "Prada 2," a comedy starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, when the filmmakers needed more time on the Marvel ​film.

The move is expected to pay off with a strong opening for "Prada," box office analysts said. It also coincides with a decline ​in box office power for action flicks, according to an analysis of US and Canadian box office receipts ⁠by TD Cowen analyst Doug Creutz.

In 2025, Creutz said, "Superman," "F1" and other action/adventure movies accounted for 35% of ticket sales from the top 100 ​films. 

That tied for the lowest share since 2010 and marked the third year in a row in the mid-30% range.

Disney's Marvel superhero movies and ​Universal's "Fast & Furious" racing films, among others, attracted large audiences to theaters in the 2010s. 

As recently as 2022, action movies brought in 56% of domestic box office dollars, lifted by Tom Cruise's "Top Gun: Maverick."

The number of action films sent to theaters has remained steady at about 25 annually for more than a decade.

Part, but not ​all, of the sales decline may be related to lower quality, Creutz said. But even films with positive reviews from critics pulled in fewer ​box office dollars than in years past, he said.

"It appears audiences are no longer eager to see even good superhero films today as they were pre-pandemic," ‌Creutz said ⁠in a research note.

Family films, by contrast, are on the rise, as are horror films. Recent hits have included "Lilo & Stitch," "Zootopia 2" and "The Super Mario Bros Movie."

Theater owners said genre popularity is cyclical. The key to success, they said, is a wide range of movies throughout the year.—Reuters