4 best DC movies streaming on Disney+, ranked in order (rating)
In a surprising turn of events, Disney+, the streaming platform for the Walt Disney Company, has decided to add DC movies to its catalog. As of April 2024, the platform has four DC movies available for subscribers to watch. As with all streaming platforms, Disney+ also adds and removes titles each month, based on their contracts.
Some of the new DC titles introduced this month are streaming on the platform for the first time ever. This includes the original Gal Gadot-starrer Wonder Woman movie and the two Shazam! movies starring Zachary Levi. It must be noted that these titles are also available on Max.
As of now, there is no news about more such additions of DCEU movies to the Disney+ catalog in the future.
Disclaimer: Spoilers ahead.
DC movies streaming on Disney+, ranked based on rating
While superhero fans and movie enthusiasts have their own favorites, well-made movies with a good plot, engaging action and impressive CGI have universal appeal and can entertain for years after release. Such is the case with the DC movies that have made its way to Disney+ in April 2024.
The four movies are ranked below as per their popularity and rating:
1) Wonder Woman
Released in 2017, Wonder Woman was directed by Patty Jenkins and featured Gal Gadot in the titular role. The movie received a 93% rating from Rotten Tomatoes and earned a grade of A on CinemaScore. It also acquired a Metacritic score of 76/100.
Produced and distributed by Warner Bros., Wonder Woman was written by Zack Snyder, along with Jason Fuchs and Allan Heinberg. Gadot was supported by Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Robin Wright as Antiope, Danny Huston as Eric Ludendorff, David Thewlis as Sir Patrick, and many more.
The premise of the plot followed Princess Diana of Themyscira in the Amazons. After Captain Steve Trevor's plane crashes on her land, Diana accompanies Steve into the outer world, where the Second World War is raging. On the one hand, she helps The Allied Forces in their war, while on the other, she searches for Ares to destroy him.
In the end, she manages to kill Ares while Steve flies a bomber away from the surface and sacrifices himself to detonate it.
2) Shazam!
The 2019 movie with Zachary Levi in the lead got a 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes for being effortlessly entertaining. The movie focused on the theme of wish fulfillment, blending moral duty with humor and emotion. While on CinemaScore the movie received an A, Metacritic gave it a score of 71/100.
Shazam! is the seventh installment from DCEU directed by David Sandberg. Besides Zachary, the other main cast members include Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer and Djimon Hounsou. Grossing $368 worldwide, the movie earned more than its break-even value.
The plot revolves around Billy Batson who, chosen by an ancient Shazam wizard, transforms into a superhero by shouting the word "Shazam." While Billy and his foster brother Freddy try to discover Shazam's powers, the other foster siblings join the team. Together they try to defeat the villain, Dr. Thaddeaus Sivana.
3) DC League of Super Pets
The 2022 animated comedy based on DC superheroes and their superpowered pets, received positive reviews from critics and viewers. While Rotten Tomatoes gave it a rating of 72%, Metacritic scored it 56/100. Additionally, CinemaScore awarded it an A- grade.
Made on a budget of about $90 million, the film earned $207.6 million worldwide, making it a commercial success. The star-packed cast includes Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Keanu Reeves, John Krasinski, Kate McKinnon, Diego Luna, and many more. Co-written and directed by Jared Stern, DC League of Super Pets has Johnson as one of the producers.
The plot follows Krypto, a Kryptonian dog who grew up with Clark Kent. The story continues with a guinea pig from LexCorp gaining superpowers from orange Kryptonite, and a host of animals from an animal shelter acquiring superpowers similarly. As Superman is captured by the evil guinea pig and his dog Krypto loses his powers, it is up to the other animals to save Clark Kent.
4) Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Also called Shazam! 2, this 2023 movie is a sequel to the first movie with the same superhero. While the movie grossed $134 million worldwide, it was largely considered unsuccessful, with a production budget of $125 million. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie received a 49% approval rating. Metacritic scored it 47/100, while CinemaScore graded it B+.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods went into development as early as 2019, with Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan getting the script ready. Besides Zachary Levi, Jack Dylan Grazer, Asher Angel, and Djimon Hounsou from the first movie, the sequel has big Hollywood names in the cast such as Helen Mirren, Rachel Zegler, Lucy Liu, Adam Brody and many more.
The storyline for Shazam! Fury of the Gods involves more mythological characters, key among them being the three daughters of Titan Atlas. While Freddy gets kidnapped and imprisoned with the wizard in the Gods' Realm, all the foster siblings lose their superpowers except Billy.
Billy sacrifices himself to save the Earth from destruction, but Wonder Woman comes along to resurrect him and repair the wizard's broken staff.
Who can avail of DC movies on Disney+?
Disney+ started by having Disney movies on their platform, which they extended to MCU movies and, soon, Sony's Spider-Man and 20th Century Fox's X-Men content. This is the first time that the streaming platform has included movies from what is largely considered their rival production house.
As such, the DC movies added to the Disney+ catalogue for April 2024, will only be available for viewers who have subscribed to the Hulu bundle. This means, interested subscribers must have an active Hulu subscription or have bought a Hulu bundle.
Moreover, it is not yet clear how long the four titles will stay on the platform and whether there are going to be other DC titles available on Disney+ in the future.