Ahead of its release in theaters this summer, many were curious to see how James Gunn’s Superman performed at the box office. While Gunn himself downplayed the amount of pressure the film was under, there’s no denying there was a lot riding on it. As the first feature film of the newly established DC Universe franchise, Superman was aiming to get DC Comics adaptations back on track after the rocky DC Extended Universe era. Fans couldn’t help but wonder how Superman‘s box office numbers would compare to Man of Steel (which similarly kicked off a shared cinematic universe). Zack Snyder’s film fared better worldwide, but Gunn’s reboot has had a stronger domestic run and just passed another impressive milestone.
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As of this writing, Superman has earned $346.9 million domestically (via The Numbers). That makes it Warner Bros.’ ninth highest-grossing film of all time in the United States, unadjusted for inflation. On this chart, Man of Steel ranks 23rd with approximately $291 million. Check out the full list of WB’s domestic top 10 in the space below. It includes a handful of notable DC Comics adaptations:
- Barbie ($636.7 million)
- The Dark Knight ($536.6 million)
- The Dark Knight Rises ($448.1 million)
- A Minecraft Movie ($423.9 million)
- Wonder Woman ($412.5 million)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II ($382 million)
- The Batman ($369.6 million)
- American Sniper ($350.1 million)
- Superman ($346.9 million)
- Joker ($335.4 million)
How Superman Became One of WB’s Biggest Movies of All Time
Superman was able to soar this high up the all-time charts because of its word of mouth. Earning positive reviews, it exceeded box office projections during its opening weekend by grossing $125 million domestically. That strong start was complemented by strong legs. With audiences responding enthusiastically to the film, Superman held very well in its second weekend, dropping just 53.2%. From there, it kept steadily posting solid numbers, but business has slowed down now since Superman is available on home media.
Thanks to the positive reception, Superman quickly became 2025’s highest-grossing comic book movie. On both the domestic and worldwide charts, it’s outgrossed the trio of Marvel releases that hit theaters this year — Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The closest to Superman is First Steps, which currently stands at $257.3 million domestically. Any chance it had at catching Superman died when it suffered a substantial second weekend drop-off of 67.1%.
Prior to Superman‘s premiere, it was reported that Warner Bros. Discovery executives were hoping for a worldwide gross that was “north of $500 million.” The film has cleared that goal, recently passing the $600 million milestone. While Superman arguably had a soft performance overseas, everyone involved with the film should be very pleased with this outcome. Gunn is already developing a Superman follow-up, hoping he’ll be able to start production in the not-too-distant future.
Warner Bros. has had a very lucrative 2025; six consecutive WB movies opened with $40+ million domestically, a feat that’s never happened before. While hits like A Minecraft Movie, Sinners, F1, and Weapons are great, Superman was arguably the studio’s most important release. DC Studios has a long-term plan in mind, and it was vital the DCU got off to a strong start. It has, and ideally, subsequent movies starring David Corenswet’s Superman will earn even more money than his first outing.
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