James Gunn’s Superman continues to climb the all-time box office chart and is now set to pass a major Marvel movie sequel from the pre-Marvel Cinematic Universe era. As of Friday, August 15th, Superman has earned around $337 million in the United States. This means that by the end of the weekend, it will have grossed enough to surpass 2007’s Spider-Man 3. The conclusion to Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy made $337.2 million domestically during its run, which was good enough to make it the highest-grossing film of the year. It beat out other notable sequels such as Shrek the Third, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
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Granted, this does not take into consideration the nearly 20 years of inflation between Spider-Man 3 and Superman. In 2025 dollars, the Marvel movie’s lifetime domestic gross comes out to about $524.3 million — a figure Superman is unlikely to reach. It’s also worth mentioning that Spider-Man 3 proved to be a much larger draw overseas — even unadjusted for inflation. Spider-Man 3 grossed $890.8 million worldwide, while Superman‘s global total currently stands at $588.7 million. Still, it’s impressive to see the first film in the DC Universe reach these heights, especially as other superhero titles have struggled at the box office this year.
Bolstered by positive reviews and strong audience word of mouth, Superman exceeded box office expectations by grossing $125 million domestically over its opening weekend. It held well over the past few weeks, claiming the title of the year’s highest-grossing superhero movie. Superman was performing so well at the box office that it likely would have had a longer theatrical run were it not for Peacemaker Season 2 debuting this month.
Superman‘s success has generated excitement for the future of the DCU. Gunn has already confirmed he’s busy working on a Superman follow-up and hopes to begin production in the not-too-distant future. Movies about the franchise’s Batman and Wonder Woman are also in development, though no release dates have been set.
Notable titles ahead of Superman on the all-time chart include Zootopia ($341.6 million), Thor: Love and Thunder ($343.2 million), and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers ($345.5 million). It will be interesting to see how higher Superman can soar before its time in theaters is over. The film is now available to rent and purchase on digital PVOD platforms like Apple and Amazon, meaning people now have less incentive to check it out in theaters. Since Superman is on home media, things will likely slow down at the box office even more than they already have (last weekend’s haul was $7.9 million).
Regardless of where it settles on the all-time charts, Superman has accomplished what it set out to achieve. DC was in dire straits before Gunn’s film arrived, as 2022’s The Batman was the only real bona fide box office hit over the past few years. Now, the DCU has gotten off on the all-important right foot, allowing Gunn and Peter Safran to further develop their 10-year plan for the franchise. Hopefully, Superman will be the first in a long string of DC Studios blockbusters.
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Image Courtesy of Marvel Studios -
Image Courtesy of DC Comics -
Image Courtesy of DC Comics
