Update: July 16, 2025
A New Day for DC: Breaking Down SUPERMAN Salaries, Budgets and More as Studio Fast-Tracks WONDER WOMAN and Its Future
Ahead of the world premiere of James Gunn's
Superman on July 7, DC Studios co-chief Peter Safran took the stage to thank the most important person seated in the audience — Warner Bros. Discovery president CEO David Zaslav — “for your faith and trust in James and in me to make this movie and to kick-start the new era of DC.”
In fact, there were only a few echoes of DC past inside the TCL Chinese Imax theater, including Michael Rosenbaum, who played Lex Luthor in the long-running series
Smallville, and Will Reeve, the son of the late Christopher Reeve and thus ambassador to the Richard Donner
Superman oeuvre. Otherwise, the night stood as the dawn of a new beginning for the film franchise that has earned $16.8 billion over 58 films at the box office but has been eclipsed in recent years by crosstown rival Marvel.
But did Gunn, who took the reins of DC with Safran in 2022 and also wrote and produced the film, pull off a franchise jump-start? The refrain heard on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank and around Hollywood was “Good enough,” accompanied by a sigh of relief as Gunn’s movie lifted off to $220 million worldwide, ushering in a 10-year vision for DC.
Zaslav took a victory lap before the ink was dry on the weekend’s box office numbers, calling the performance soaring and “just the first step.” But his posture struck many in town as odd and premature given that CEOs rarely weigh in publicly about a film’s opening weekend.
“Domestically, Superman stuck the landing, but international numbers are disappointing,” says box office analyst Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations of the $95 million overseas haul. “For Superman to be one of the biggest summer blockbusters — not to mention reset an entire universe — the film needed to pack more punch in its debut. Obviously, the following weeks will tell the true box office tale, but this has to be viewed as a slightly underwhelming start for DC and WB.”
More importantly, Wall Street is feeling good about the bow. Warner Bros. Discovery stock jumped 2.4%, from $11.73 at the close of July 11 to $12.01 by the end of the day on July 14. Wall Street analyst Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities calls the film’s performance “very impressive domestically and a huge boost for the franchise given some worries coming in.” He adds: “The international is a mixed, but overall an A- weekend for Superman.”
And one top agent says he can understand a little crowing from Zaslav. “Considering the press treated him like the village idiot/punching bag for so long, you can’t blame a guy for grabbing on to any piece of good news,” says the agent.
The film cost $225 million and another $125 million to market globally, the latter including pricey stunts like a Superman figure hovering at the apex of London’s tallest building, The Shard, on July 1. One rival studio executive estimated that the Shard gambit alone cost seven figures. Warners always believed that
Superman would under-index internationally because the titular hero is inextricably linked with “the American way.”
Typically, a film’s stars earn the top salaries. But in this case, Gunn was by far the highest earner, pulling down 20 times more than David Corenswet (Superman/Clark Kent) and Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane), who each earned $750,000 to Gunn’s $15 million, according to sources (Gunn also draws a seven-figure salary as the studio’s top executive).
And Nicholas Hoult, who plays archvillain Lex Luthor, nabbed a $2 million payday. Although Warner Bros. has sequel options on Corenswet and Brosnahan, a sequel announcement does not appear to be imminent. Instead, sources say the studio is fast-tracking a
Wonder Woman movie. And the studio is thrilled with Matt Reeves’ just-submitted screenplay draft for the sequel to
The Batman.
Still, Zack Snyder’s
Man of Steel, which marked the last DC reset, performed better when adjusted for inflation, earning $200 million worldwide in its opening frame, or $276 million in today’s dollars.
And
Superman will need to keep audiences filling up the cineplex to be deemed a true success. That seems likely given the critical and fan response, with word of mouth strong thanks to an A- CinemaScore.
Ultimately,
Superman largely avoided stepping into the culture wars until too late in the film’s run-up to make a difference. Still, the perception may ultimately help keep
Superman in the conversation long after opening weekend. Says Bock: “The saving grace for the new DCU might be if the film can go 12 rounds and stay in theaters throughout August.”
James Gunn's 'Superman' debuted to $220 million worldwide. Industry insiders are divided over whether that's a success or not.
variety.com
Cliff Notes:
- Superman's production budget was around $225 million with a $125 million marketing cost.
- David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan each earned $750,000 for the film.
- Nicholas Hoult's salary was $2 million.
- James Gunn received $15 million as writer, director, producer and studio exec.
- A Superman sequel announcement is not imminent but the studio is fast-tracking a Wonder Woman movie.
