Image via Relativity Media
After months of anticipation, director James Gunn’s Superman debuted this week to positive reviews and terrific box office reception across the globe. Films featuring the iconic superhero have historically played better domestically, but Superman would hope to fly past the $650 million-plus benchmark set by Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel over a decade ago. The movie has soared past the $200 million mark in its opening weekend alone, thanks to a stupendous $120 million-plus debut domestically. The opening puts it in the same range as Matt Reeves’ The Batman from a few years ago. Superman is the fifth hit in a row this year for Warner Bros., following Sinners, Final Destination Bloodlines, F1, and A Minecraft Movie. With $122 million domestically and another $95 million from overseas markets, Superman’s cumulative global haul stands at $217 million. The film was produced on a reported budget of $225 million, which is standard for superhero cinema these days. The now-defunct DC Extended Universe’s final film, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, also cost a similar amount. Gunn and his DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran are putting together a new series of interconnected superhero movies, beginning with Superman. The franchise will continue both on the big screen and on streaming, much like Disney’s rival Marvel Cinematic Universe. The DCEU was also designed to emulate the MCU, but delivered uneven results. The new franchise is being launched amid conversations around superhero fatigue. This year already, Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* have underperformed in their respective box office runs. In only a few days, Marvel will unveil its biggest play of the year, The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Superman has a head start on that film, and positive reviews on its side. The movie holds an 82% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with Collider’s Ross Bonaime describing it as “one of the most optimistic, playful, ludicrous, and downright fun Superman films in decades, maybe ever.”
‘Superman’ Has Already Beaten Past Man of Steel Henry Cavill’s Forgotten ‘300’ Dupe
In one weekend alone, Superman has overtaken the entire $211 million haul of Henry Cavill’s swords-and-sandals film Immortals, which debuted a couple of years before Man of Steel. Starring David Corenswet, alongside Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Superman comes just two years after the Black Adam teased Cavill’s return as the Man of Steel. But plans were quickly scuttled after Black Adam’s commercial underperformance and Gunn’s hiring to the post of co-CEO. Superman will be followed by a Supergirl film starring Milly Alcock, set for release next year. You can watch the movie in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Superman
Release Date
July 11, 2025
Runtime
130 Minutes
Director
James Gunn
Producers
Lars P. Winther, Peter Safran
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