James Gunn’s Superman Officially Continues an Unwanted 46-Year Streak That Snyder Couldn’t Break Either

Historically, comic book adaptations don’t fare very well at awards shows like the Oscars, but there have been some notable exceptions. Heath Ledger posthumously won Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Dark Knight. Black Panther and Joker received Best Picture nominations. These examples may be few and far between, but the Academy has shown it isn’t completely allergic to rewarding superhero movies. None of the comic book films from this past year were expected to be major players on the awards circuit, though there was hope something like Superman could break through in a couple of categories. Unfortunately, James Gunn’s reboot continues a decades-long streak.

Today, the 2026 Oscar nominations were announced, and Superman was shut out entirely (despite cracking a couple of shortlists earlier in the voting process). Obviously, this means Superman will not win any Oscars this year, continuing an unfortunate trend for DC’s popular hero. Ever since the original Superman received a Special Achievement Award for its visual effects back in 1979, no Superman movie has won an Oscar. Surprisingly, the only Superman film to even receive a nomination since that time is Superman Returns, which scored a nod for Best Visual Effects.

Superman Was Still a Winner for DC Studios Despite Oscars Snub

While it would have been nice to see Superman get some recognition from the Academy (particularly for the standout work in below-the-line categories), award nominations were never going to be the barometer for its success. As the first feature film in the new DC Universe franchise, Superman was tasked with kicking off a new era for DC Comics adaptations. It needed to connect with general audiences and generate excitement for what’s to come. In that regard, Superman was a massive win for Gunn and Co.

With a strong Rotten Tomatoes score (83%), Superman rode waves of positive buzz to the top of the box office charts. It was 2025’s highest-grossing comic book adaptation, bringing in $616.8 million worldwide. During its run, it had very strong legs (a second weekend decline of just 53.2%), illustrating that moviegoers liked what they saw. Though Superman fell well short of the $1 billion mark, it still turned a healthy profit for Warner Bros. When other revenue sources including merchandise sales and home media rentals are factored in, the film turned a $100 million profit, which is a very strong figure.

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Superman achieved its goals, and the future of the DCU is bright. James Gunn is already working on his follow-up, Man of Tomorrow, which will see Superman and arch nemesis Lex Luthor team up to take on the villain Brainiac. Man of Tomorrow is already scheduled to premiere in July 2027, so Gunn and Co. are moving quickly as they continue to build out the DCU. Man of Tomorrow could potentially be an even bigger hit than Superman, now that audiences are familiar with the DCU and seem to be on board with Gunn’s approach. Superman could end up being the Batman Begins or Iron Man of its franchise, setting the foundation for something that truly takes off.

If Gunn continues delivering high-quality work, the Academy may find it hard to ignore Man of Tomorrow. In keeping with the Batman Begins parallel, Christopher Nolan’s Batman reboot only earned a single Oscar nomination, and then The Dark Knight received eight nominations and two wins. Ledger was obviously the big push for that film, but The Dark Knight received a lot of love in the below-the-line categories, highlighting the impressive filmmaking that went into crafting the blockbuster. Should Man of Tomorrow deliver on all fronts, Warner Bros. will undoubtedly put together a campaign.

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