When James Gunn’s Superman played in theaters over the summer, many were curious to see how it would perform at the box office compared to Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. Coincidentally, both films were positioned as the first theatrical installments of a new shared cinematic universe that would hopefully deliver tentpoles for Warner Bros. for years to come. In the case of Man of Steel and the DC Extended Universe, things didn’t go as well as intended, and the entire on-screen DC continuity was wiped clean to make way for Gunn’s DC Universe. Coming out on the heels of the uneven DCEU slate that saw numerous box office bombs, there was a lot riding on Superman to be a success. Some feared that WB “could go the way of Fox” if the film fell short of expectations.
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Thankfully, Superman ended up exceeding box office projections, bolstered by positive word of mouth. It had strong legs over the course of its theatrical run (which was cut short thanks to Peacemaker Season 2), and it ended up becoming the highest-grossing comic book movie in 2025. Still, fans couldn’t help but notice that Man of Steel actually outgrossed Superman at the worldwide box office, bringing in $670.1 million compared to Superman‘s $615.9 million. Despite that difference, a case can be made that Man of Steel had the more disappointing results.
Man of Steel Should Have Been a Bigger Box Office Hit
While $670.1 million isn’t anything to sneeze at, Man of Steel arguably should have been an even bigger draw. At the time of its release in June 2013, superhero movies were entering a glory period that would extend throughout the rest of the decade. The previous summer saw The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises both gross over $1 billion worldwide, illustrating just how popular comic book adaptations were. It would be unreasonable to assume the first installment of a new series would reach the $1 billion milestone, but Warner Bros. had high hopes for Man of Steel and was expecting it to be a massive hit. Not only did it mark the big-screen return of one of the most iconic characters in pop culture, the marketing campaign emphasized the involvement of Christopher Nolan (who served as producer) as a selling point, connecting Man of Steel to the acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy.
Though Man of Steel got off to an impressive start with $116.6 million domestically in its opening weekend, the film did not have strong legs. Hampered by mixed word of mouth, it dropped 64.6% in its second weekend, falling from first place to third. The strong debut indicates people were excited for a new take on Superman, but the mixed reception ultimately didn’t do the film many favors. If Man of Steel was better received, then it might have been able to push $700 or even $800 million, which would have been an extremely impressive result for the start of a new franchise. The 2010s were an era where the Guardians of the Galaxy transformed from obscure comic book characters to household names overnight and Aquaman was able to lead a $1 billion blockbuster. A critically acclaimed Superman film could have been one of the biggest box office hits of the decade.
Studio executives probably thought Man of Steel should have been a bigger deal. Shortly after the film’s premiere, the follow-up Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was announced, and WB went full speed ahead into building out its shared universe. The uneven response to Man of Steel might have expedited major crossovers between superheroes. Rather than move forward with a standalone Man of Steel sequel that continued to develop Henry Cavill’s iteration of Superman, WB tried to catch up to Marvel by bringing Batman, Wonder Woman, and other Justice League members to the fold to generate excitement. It gave the impression that the DCEU was being rushed, and key characters didn’t have the necessary room to breathe and grow organically.
There are many reasons why the DCEU didn’t resonate as strongly as WB had hoped, but Man of Steel reception certainly played a part. Opening weekend grosses are important, but when it comes to studio tentpoles, legs are equally as pertinent. Despite earning less than Man of Steel, Iron Man is arguably the more successful of the two because it had much stronger holds thanks to enthusiastic reviews and audience reception. It gave Marvel the confidence that its ambitious Avengers plan could work, whereas WB felt it necessary to smash the action figures together to renew interest. If Man of Steel performed more like Iron Man, maybe we’d still be seeing new DCEU installments.
Why Superman Is More Successful (Despite Grossing Less)
Perhaps the biggest advantage Superman has over Man of Steel is reception. Superman is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, word of mouth that helped fuel an opening weekend that exceeded box office projections. After earning $125 million domestically over its first three days, Superman had strong legs (a sign of positive audience response) and only dropped 53.2% in its second weekend. It held on to the top spot for its first two weekends and only fell to second place when The Fantastic Four: First Steps opened in late July. Man of Steel was the box office champ for just one weekend before it fell behind Monsters University and World War Z. Though there are figures out there suggesting Superman wasn’t profitable off ticket sales alone, WB was encouraged by the movie’s performance.
If the studio wasn’t happy with the way Superman turned out, then Gunn wouldn’t be moving forward with follow-up film Man of Tomorrow. Gunn is the co-head of DC Studios, but he still reports to David Zaslav and Warner Bros. Discovery brass. For now anyway, WB is comfortable allowing Gunn to take his time building out the DCU. Man of Tomorrow should be large in scope, but when compared to Batman v Superman, it feels like a more natural continuation. Man of Tomorrow will further develop the Superman/Lex Luthor dynamic that served as the primary conflict of Superman, so it’s expanding upon something audiences are already familiar with. There’s still no Batman or Wonder Woman to be seen in the DCU, so it’s hard to make the case Gunn and Co. are rushing the overarching plan. If Superman had delivered more mixed results, Gunn would be under pressure to quickly turn things around.
At first glance, saying Superman was more successful despite earning less money doesn’t make much sense, but this isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison with Man of Steel. Superman was released in a very different era for moviegoing. Shortened theatrical windows are en vogue following the COVID-19 pandemic, and many viewers are perfectly comfortable waiting for streaming to catch new releases. While there have been several massive hits released over the past handful of years, overall box office numbers still aren’t at pre-pandemic levels, which changes the barometer for what’s considered a success. Furthermore, superhero movies aren’t as much of a draw as they used to be (see: Marvel’s uneven year), so it’s noteworthy that Superman ended its run as 2025’s highest-grossing comic book film and is currently the third highest-grossing film of the year domestically.
The biggest takeaway from Superman‘s performance is that it established a sturdier foundation for a shared universe, which is ultimately what makes it a greater success than Man of Steel. People liked what they saw in Superman and walked away wanting to see more of David Corenswet’s version before he meets any notable Justice League heroes (which are still years away from debuting). Yes, it made less money at the box office when compared to Man of Steel, but that’s only part of the picture. The DCU is off to a strong start (divisive Peacemaker Season 2 finale aside), meaning hopes will be higher for Man of Tomorrow and other subsequent films.
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