10 Lowest Grossing Superhero Films

Worldwide Gross: $1,710,972

A mainstay of IMDB’s bottom 100 movies, Steel’s presence on All Time Worst lists is due more to its miscast leading man than its script or supporting cast.

Fashioned as a vehicle for 7ft 1in Shaquille O’Neal, Steel had begun shooting when Shaq’s first starring role, in the 1996 genie comedy Kazaam, began receiving notices that suggested the NBA superstar should’ve stuck to the day job. He does come across as the drinking man’s Wesley Snipes, but in the late 90s movie studios were still reluctant to open the coffers for superhero movies (never mind one with an African American hero) and the gimmick casting must’ve seemed like a sound idea.

It didn’t pay off at the box office, however: despite opening on 1260 screens, the movie could only reach #12 and was gone after its second week. Batman & Robin opened two months earlier, so audiences must’ve had their fill of campy DC superhero movies.

If Steel delivers the goods with TV movie simplicity, that’s because writer/director Kenneth Johnson was a small screen veteran, having worked on The Six Million Dollar Man, The Incredible Hulk and The Bionic Woman, among others. He pretty much sticks to what he knows and delivers small-scale thrills on a limited budget, with only the presence of Richard Roundtree and Charles Napier to suggest you’re not watching a pilot.