‘Superman’ Flies High at the US Box Office

It appears that the big bet by Gunn –– who also runs Warner Bros.’ DC Studios arm overseeing the various properties spawned by the comic book behemoth, and intended ‘Superman’ as his theatrical calling card –– is paying off.

The movie, starring David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult, earned $122 million at the box office, marking the third-biggest launch this year after ‘A Minecraft Movie’ (another success for the newly resurgent WB and Disney’s live-action ‘Lilo & Stitch’).

Reviews for the movie were mixed to generally positive and audiences gave the movie a solid grade, which bodes well for this one to keep on flying, even with Marvel’s ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ a couple of weeks away from launch.

Related Article: Movie Review: ‘Superman’

How did ‘Superman’ perform internationally?

(L to R) Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Skylar Gisondo as Jimmy and David Corenswet as Clark Kent in DC Studios’ and Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Superman’, a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2025 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The global market might be where ‘Superman’ faltered slightly, not because of any Kryptonite, but because of ‘Jurassic World Rebirth.’

Universal’s latest iteration of its successful dinosaur franchise held on to screens and audience interest, and ‘Superman’ had to make do with a softer-than-expected $95 million global launch.

Top-earning territories for the superhero were the United Kingdom with $9.8 million, Mexico with $8.8 million, Brazil with $5.9 million and Australia with $5.3 million. The movie bombed in China, earning just $6.6 million in its opening weekend. By comparison, ‘Rebirth’ opened last weekend in China with $25 million.

‘Superman’ needs to keep performing to offset its $225 million budget and the roughly $100 million spent to promote it.

Here’s what FranchiseRe movie consulting firm’s David A. Gross said about the movie’s performance so far:

“This is an outstanding domestic opening. If there’s any softness here, it’s overseas. Superman has always been identified as an American character, and in some parts of the world, America is currently not enjoying its greatest popularity.”

Understatement of year, perhaps?

David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, was also enthused by the movie’s performance and praised its overseer:

“Three years ago, I hired James Gunn and Peter Safran to reimagine and unify the creative direction of DC under one leadership team, by breathing new life and excitement into one of the most iconic storytelling franchises in the world. James and Peter’s commitment to honoring the legacy of the DC Universe while forging something new and enthralling is inspired. This weekend, we watched Superman soar as James Gunn’s passion and vision came to life on the big screen. Superman is just the first step. Over the next year alone, DC Studios will introduce the films ‘Supergirl’ and ‘Clayface’ in theaters and the series ‘Lanterns’ on HBO Max, all part of a bold 10-year plan. The DC vision is clear, the momentum is real, and I couldn’t be more excited for what’s ahead.”

What else happened at the box office this weekend?

(L to R) Luna Blaise and the T-Rex in ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’, directed by Gareth Edwards. Photo: Universal Pictures.

Even given its success overseas, ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ suffered a considerable reduction domestically this weekend, adding $40 million from 4,324 venues in its second weekend of release, a painful 57% drop from its debut.

Yet Universal won’t be worrying too much just yet, as the movie has so far sunk its teeth into a mighty $232 million domestically and $529 million worldwide.

Third across the finishing line was Apple’s ‘F1’ (distributed theatrical by Warner Bros.) The sports drama anchored by Brad Pitt as a down-on-his-luck racer recruited by a Formula 1 team, earned $13 million from 3,412 theaters in its third lap around the track, marking a 50% decline from the prior weekend.

It has so far earned $136 million in North America and $393 million worldwide, which is solid but it’ll need to keep on making money to offset a hefty $250 million budget (before marketing costs). The movie has, at least, become Apple’s biggest theatrical hit to date by far.

Fourth place went to DreamWorks’ live-action remake of ‘How to Train Your Dragon’, which collected $7.8 million from 3,285 theaters. It has so far taken in $239 million domestically and $560 million globally.

Finally, in fifth place, Disney/Pixar’s ‘Elio’ continued to be a disappointment. It made $4 million from 2,730 screens in its fourth weekend. The intergalactic tale has grossed just $63 million in North America and finally surpassed the $100 million mark globally after a month of release. With $117 million in worldwide ticket sales, the $150 million-budgeted tentpole will end its theatrical run as a major money loser for the companies.

What’s the future for DC Studios?

As mentioned above, Gunn and Safran already have plans in place for an interconnected series of movies and TV series, with the likes of ‘Supergirl’, ‘Clayface’ and HBO Max series ‘Lanterns’ at different stages of production, and more in the development chute beyond that.

Milly Alcock on the set of ‘Supergirl’. Photo: James Gunn’s Instagram account.

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