Superhero movies have been the defining blockbuster language of the past decade, but “global success” can be a lazy shorthand. A new PlayersTime report, published on December 8, 2025, breaks the genre down country by country, analysing 52 Marvel and DC films released between 2015 and 2025 across 84 markets, then layering in per-capita revenue to show where fans are not just watching, but showing up in force.
On the big scoreboard, the report finds Marvel dominating worldwide box office share for the decade, taking 78.6% of revenue, while DC’s share is 21.4%. That is the expected part. The more interesting story is what happens when you zoom in on Southeast Asia, because the region is not a messy split among different favourites. It is a near-unified chorus.
Southeast Asia is (mostly) unified.
Across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, the top superhero film is the same one: Avengers: Endgame. In Indonesia, it earned about US$34.78 million, and in the Philippines, it came in close at around US$32.84 million. Thailand posted roughly US$27.23 million, Malaysia hit about US$21.12 million, Singapore delivered US$14.35 million, and Vietnam contributed around US$11.70 million.
Singapore’s numbers theatrically underline that point. Across the Marvel and DC titles in the dataset, Marvel accounts for essentially 95% of Singapore’s superhero box office total. Endgame leads, Avengers: Infinity War sits right behind it, and Spider-Man: No Way Home rounds out the top three. The message is clear. In Singapore, superhero cinema has essentially meant Marvel, and the most significant wins come from films that feel like milestones.
Malaysia and Thailand follow the same general rhythm, with Endgame at the top and Avengers and Spider-Man titles stacked near the front of the pack. Marvel’s overall share remains extremely high in both markets, which lines up neatly with PlayersTime’s broader point that the genre’s success is now driven by consistent international engagement, not just one or two traditional strongholds.
DC still has a fighting chance.
Indonesia and Vietnam are where the Southeast Asia story gets more layered. Marvel still leads overall in both countries, but DC holds noticeably more ground here than it does in Singapore, Thailand, or the Philippines. In Indonesia and Vietnam, DC accounts for roughly a quarter of the combined Marvel and DC superhero box office in the dataset.
That gap matters because it suggests these audiences are more willing to show up for the proper DC release, even in a Marvel-dominant decade. The DC title doing the most heavy lifting in both places is Aquaman, which is the most prominent DC performer in Indonesia at around US$21.80 million and in Vietnam at about US$5.32 million. It aligns with the report’s broader observation that Aquaman had exceptional international appeal, even as Marvel’s ensemble blockbusters tower over the worldwide charts.
Then there is the fun outlier: Cambodia. While the region largely rallies around Endgame, Cambodia’s top superhero title is Spider-Man: No Way Home, with roughly US$0.63 million in box office revenue. The Cambodian dataset is smaller in absolute terms. However, it is the perfect reminder that local favourites can still break the pattern, even inside a region that otherwise moves in a relatively unified way.
Pound for pound.
One of the best parts of the report is that it looks beyond total dollars. When it ranks countries by superhero revenue per 1,000 people, Hong Kong rockets to the top globally, followed by Iceland, the United States, and Canada, with Australia not far behind.
It is a valuable lens for Southeast Asia, too, because it explains why sheer market size does not automatically equal the loudest fandom. Smaller markets can look intensely devoted once you factor in population, while bigger markets may dominate totals simply because they have more people. In other words, “who spends the most” and “who loves it the most” are not always the same answer.
It’s all about the payoff.
So, what does all this say about Southeast Asia’s taste for superheroes? At minimum, it suggests we respond strongly to movies that feel like an occasion. Endgame is not just another franchise instalment. It is a payoff, a finale, and a cultural moment built around a shared timeline of films that audiences followed for years. That kind of long-form emotional investment appears to translate extremely well across Southeast Asia’s diverse markets.
Meanwhile, the more substantial DC share in Indonesia and Vietnam shows there is also room for individual films that cut through on pure appeal, especially when the hook is clear, and the spectacle is big.
Southeast Asia might be unusually aligned on its top pick. Still, even here, the margins tell a story. Some markets are overwhelmingly Marvel-first, while others leave more oxygen for DC hits. If studios are watching, the takeaway is not simply “make more Avengers.” It is “make movies that feel worth the trip,” because in this region, when a superhero film earns the label of must-see, audiences show up.
The next round begins
Looking ahead, Southeast Asia’s box office map could get a real shake-up as both studios tee up their next “reset moment” films. Marvel is positioning Avengers: Doomsday, dated for December 18, 2026, as the next mega-event that could reignite the same communal rush that made Endgame such a regional juggernaut, especially in markets that reliably turn up for ensemble spectacle.
At the same time, DC’s rebooted DCU has already put its flag in the ground with Superman releasing on July 11, 2025, as the first central DCU feature, and if that new continuity finds a consistent tone and cadence, Indonesia and Vietnam in particular look like the Southeast Asian markets most likely to widen DC’s foothold over the next few years.