Update: July 13, 2025
SUPERMAN Saves the Day for DC Studios with $125 Million Opening Weekend for a $220 Million Global Start
The Man of Steel is back. James Gunn's
Superman, one of the summer’s most anticipated tentpoles, flew to a solid box office debut of $125 million in North America and $95 million overseas for an estimated global launch of $220 million.
The movie is a seminal moment in rebooting both DC Studios — which has struggled badly in recent years — and one of Hollywood’s most iconic comic book film franchises. Gunn is in a unique position, being both the film’s writer-director and the co-head of the Warner Bros.-owned DC, which he runs with Peter Safran.
Superman is the first superhero film to cross $100 million in its North American bow since Marvel Studios and Ryan Reynolds’
Deadpool & Wolverine launched to $211 million in summer 2024 (“superhero fatigue” has become part of the Hollywood lexicon). And it’s the first DC title to cross $100 million in eight long years since
Wonder Woman debuted to $103.3 million in 2017.
To boot, it beat Zack Snyder’s 2013 film
Man of Steel ($116.7 million) to rank as the biggest domestic launch ever for a solo Superman pic, not adjusted for inflation.
Snyder’s mash-up
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice scored the biggest DC opening of all time when earning $166.6 million over Easter weekend in 2016. In 2006, Bryan Singer‘s
Superman Returns unfurled midweek in North America for a six-day start of $84 million, including $52.5 million over the three-day weekend, which is considered the film’s official opening number.
Gunn’s movie is only the third Hollywood title of 2025 to launch north of $100 million after fellow Warners tentpole
A Minecraft Movie, which opened to $162.8 million, and Disney’s live-action
Lilo & Stitch, which sewed up $146 million in its debut. Crossing the century mark is no small feat for any movie in the post-pandemic era, and particularly for the troubled superhero genre.
Until now, Gunn was best known for being the mastermind behind Marvel’s blockbuster
Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. The second
Guardians boasts his biggest domestic opening at $146.5 million.
Superman isn’t likely to beat that record, but it could supplant 2013’s
Guardians threequel ($118.2 million) to rank as his second best, not adjusted for inflation.
While tracking services predicted
Superman would gross north of $130 million, Warners and DC were more conservative in forecasting $100 million-plus. And even rival studios cautioned that the marketplace is over-saturated with male-skewing fare, between Universal’s Fourth of July blockbuster
Jurassic World Rebirth and
F1: The Movie, from Apple Original Films in partnership with Warners.
According to Friday exit polls, 68 percent of
Superman ticket buyers were male, while nearly two-thirds of the audience were between the ages of 18 and 34. While fanboys are known for rushing out on opening weekend, older moviegoers are likely to bide their time and avoid the crowds. And gender-wise, the makeup of the audience could even out to some degree. Nearly 50 percent of the gross came from Imax, Dolby Cinema and other PLF screens.
The pic should enjoy a long run thanks to strong word-of-mouth. Critics and audiences alike are embracing the film. The pic earned an A- CinemaScore from moviegoers, the same grade given to
Man of Steel and ahead of
Superman Returns‘ B+. The audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is a stellar 94 percent, while the critics’ score is a pleasing 82 percent. The event title is also playing to an ethnically diverse audience, another key advantage.
The movie marks the first DC film entry for Gunn since he took over the reins of the superhero label with Safran in November 2022. Other upcoming DC Studios projects include HBO’s
Green Lantern series,
Lanterns, and a
Supergirl movie due out in 2026.
James Gunn's tentpole appears to be succeeding in rebooting the Warner Bros.-owned DC and its most prized superhero franchise. Elsewhere, 'Jurassic World Rebirth' bites off a huge $500 million globally.
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