Box office news: ‘Superman’ edges past ‘Man of Steel’ in opening weekend
James Gunn’s Superman enjoyed a better-than-expected opening weekend at the U.S. domestic box office.
Soaring to $122 million across three days, the DC Universe launch pad has made a strong start.
Film News Blitz’s Dan Lawrence takes a look.
Surpassing ‘Man of Steel’
Writer, director and DC Studios chief Gunn earmarked Superman as his jumping off point for a new interconnected franchise of films.
12 years ago, Zack Snyder set out to do the same with Man of Steel, a take on a grittier, darker Kryptonian hero adventure.
Gunn’s film has raced off to a strong three-day take in the U.S. of $122 million, beating Warner Bros.' pessimistic $100 million-plus projection.
It also surpasses Man of Steel’s $116 million opening 12 years ago to become the biggest U.S. opening for the legendary DC character.
Moreover, it is only the third DC film in eight years to open at over $100 million, after 2017’s Wonder Woman ($103.3 million) and director Matt Reeves’ The Batman ($134 million).
Internationally, Superman added a further $95 million to its U.S. earnings to set its initial worldwide gross at $217 million.
The strong start goes some way to earning back Warner Bros.’ investment on Gunn’s film, £225 million before marketing and is the third-highest opening of 2025, behind A Minecraft Movie ($162.8 million) and Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch ($146 million).
A new dawn for Kal-El
Superman is a new dawn for DC’s flagship hero, with actor David Corenswet taking on the coveted role.
Corenswet is joined by Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor, with the trio joined by a host of popular DC characters.
Gunn’s world-building is in full effect as Superman sees Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), and Krypto the Superdog (based on Gunn’s beloved canine Ozu) join in on the fun.
The film has earned a highly respectable A- CinemaScore with viewers and has a strong 93% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
An 82% critics rating underscores that Gunn has struck on something positive with his Superman take.
Is the new DC Universe in safe hands? It seems so.
READ NEXT: Box office news: ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ packs potent global bite in opening weekend
