Look up! Superman has made its debut at the global box office, with a reasonable total of $122M domestic and $95M international, for a worldwide start of $217M. Is this a good start for James Gunn’s DCU? Let’s break down the numbers.
Firstly, it seems only fair to compare it with other Superman movies, of which there have been several. The most recent was Man of Steel from 2013, which started off the DCEU. Here are the numbers, including the total when adjusted for inflation1.
| Title | Domestic opening weekend | Adjusted for inflation | Total worldwide gross (unadjusted) |
| Superman | $122M | N/A | N/A |
| Batman v Superman (2016) | $166M | $222M | $874M |
| Man of Steel (2013) | $116M | $160M | $670M |
| Superman Returns (2006) | $52M | $82M | $391M |
In this regard, it seems that Superman hasn’t been as successful as the previous two movies that centred on him, barely outgrossing Man of Steel without adjusting for inflation.
However, it’s also important to note that the pre-2020 box office was generally stronger, and movies could expect higher opening weekends as a general rule, before Covid and streaming changed cinema-going habits. At the time, superhero movies were also big business, with Marvel having just released The Avengers the year before.
It might be more fair to compare it to movies that have released this year. Here’s how it got on against some of the biggest releases.
| Title | Domestic opening weekend | International opening weekend | Total worldwide gross2 |
| A Minecraft Movie | $162M | $150M | $955M |
| Lilo & Stitch | $146M | $158M | $994M |
| Jurassic World: Rebirth3 | $147M | $171M | $529M |
| Superman | $122M | $95M | $217M |
| Captain America: BNW | $88M | $104M | $415M |
| How to Train Your Dragon | $84M | $114M | $530M |
| Sinners | $48M | $15M | $365M |
As you can see, it’s the third biggest domestic opening this year, behind Minecraft and Lilo & Stitch, both of which have come close to a billion. What’s more worrying is the international gross. This is well below the other big openings of the year. I think Superman has always been a very American hero, so might not have the same worldwide appeal, unlike the Universal language of dinosaurs.
There’s also the spectre of “superhero fatigue”. This is obviously overhyped to some degree, but it has a precedent. Movie trends tend to come and go, the same way action was big in the ’80s or the scramble for big fantasy franchises in the early 2000s, the last 10+ years have been ruled by superhero flicks, and it’s only natural the audience reaction would have cooled by now.
Now let’s look at the budget. The reported cost of Superman is $225M. Do I believe that? Well… It’s common for these budgets to be underreported by studios, and the rumours are that it cost more than $300M just to shoot the thing, with the last minute edits and reshoots. But let’s just for the moment pretend that Warner Bros. is being completely honest, and using typical box office maths, you have the basic budget of $225M, add on at least $100M for marketing (and Superman has had a very heavy marketing campaign), which gives you $325M, double that, and you get a break even point of at best $650M.
Could it make that much? Here are some recent comic book movies that grossed more than $650M.
| Title | Domestic opening weekend | International opening weekend | Total worldwide gross |
| Deadpool & Wolverine | $211M | $233M | $1.3B |
| The Batman | $134M | $120M | $772M |
| GOTG Vol.3 | $118M | $170M | $845M |
| Spider-Man ATS | $120M | $88M | $690M |
| Black Panther 2 | $181M | $150M | $859M |
It’s interesting to note that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, James Gunn’s last movie, has an almost identical domestic opening, and finished with over $850M. However, the international gross was almost double that, at 57% of the total sum, so Superman has some way to go to reach that.
Is it likely then that Superman will hit the $650M mark? Probably. But this isn’t just another movie, it’s also the start of a new era for DC, taking over from the failed DCEU, and if this also fails to make a splash, it could put other projects in danger. After all, alongside Batman, Superman is easily the most recogisable name in the DC franchise.
However, despite Man of Steel having a lowish opening, films like Aquaman managed to outperform it a few years later, so it’s possible that future projects could pick up, and a lot depends on how well Superman holds in the coming weeks. There will be big competition from Fantastic Four: First Steps in a couple of weeks, but it has a clear second weekend with little competition, and with good reviews it could have a good hold. Some movies make most of their gross in their first weekend, while others hold on well for weeks, so a mid opening isn’t a sure indicator of a failure. It’s as much about the visuals, and whether a movie can break records and get those headlines.
In a way, these box office numbers mirror the film itself. It good, but not the spectacular result some were hoping for; at the same time, it’s also not the complete flop some were predicting (and even willing) would happen. It could have been better, but it could have been worse, a lot worse.
Read my review of Superman here!
- Using the US Inflation Calculator which can be found here. ↩︎
- As of July 13, 2025. Some movies are still playing in theatres. ↩︎
- Jurassic World: Rebirth had a five-day opening weekend over the 4th of July. ↩︎
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