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Dark Phoenix (subsequently titled X-Men: Dark Phoenix) is a 2019 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics X-Men characters. It is a sequel to 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse, the seventh installment in the X-Men film series, and the twelfth installment overall. It was written, co-produced, and directed by Simon Kinberg (in his feature directorial debut) and stars an ensemble cast featuring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, and Jessica Chastain. Dark Phoenix tells the origin story of Jean Grey's transformation into the Phoenix, which is triggered by a cosmic force that enhances her psychic abilities. The story follows Jean's gradual descent into madness after the force unleashes repressed traumatic memories from her childhood that causes both her emotions and powers to become unstable, threatening the people she loves.
After X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) erased the events of X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) from the series' timeline, Kinberg expressed interest in a new adaptation of Chris Claremont and John Byrne's "The Dark Phoenix Saga" in a future film that would be more faithful than his previous attempt with The Last Stand, which was met with a mixed reception, with even Kinberg and co-writer Zak Penn ultimately unimpressed with the final product. The new adaptation was confirmed as a follow-up to Apocalypse in 2016. Kinberg signed on as director in June 2017, with the majority of the cast set to return from Apocalypse. Filming began later that month in Montreal and was completed in October 2017; the entire third act was reshot in late 2018 following poor test screenings. The film was dedicated to the memory of X-Men co-creator Stan Lee, who died on November 12, 2018.
Dark Phoenix was theatrically released in the United States on June 7, 2019, produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It is the lowest-grossing installment in the main series, and the second-lowest grossing X-Men film behind The New Mutants (2020), which was released in theatres during the COVID-19 pandemic. The film grossed $252 million worldwide on a $200 million production budget and lost an estimated $133 million after marketing and distribution costs, making it one of the biggest box-office bombs of all time. It received negative reviews from critics.
