James Gunn’s Superman continues to soar high at the box office, setting a new franchise record. However, there is a catch when discussing the film’s commercial performance. According to Forbes, Superman has surpassed Man of Steel‘s domestic total ($291 million). Per Box Office Mojo, Gunn’s reboot reached $289.4 million domestically on Sunday, July 27th, so once the totals for Monday, July 28th are in, Superman will be the highest-grossing solo Superman movie of all time in the United States. That accomplishment comes with an asterisk, though, as those figures don’t account for inflation. Forbes notes that Man of Steel‘s $291 million haul from 2013 would translate to about $407 million today. So, Gunn’s reboot still has some work to do before it truly passes Man of Steel on the box office charts.
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Something else to keep in mind is that Superman‘s international numbers are lagging behind Man of Steel. To date, Superman has earned $214 million overseas, meaning it’s unlikely it will pass Man of Steel‘s global total. Man of Steel grossed $379 million from international markets en route to a $670 million worldwide total. As of this writing, Superman has just crossed the $500 million milestone.
Premiering in theaters earlier this month, Superman exceeded box office expectations with a $125 million domestic debut. It earned $220 million worldwide over its opening weekend. Coupled with the film’s positive critical reception, Superman was a very strong start for the new DC Universe franchise, which already has two more films on the way next year and several other in various stages of development. In the months leading up to its release, there was concern Superman could make or break Warner Bros. as a whole, but now the conversation is about what comes next for the DCU.
After its first two weekends, Superman faced some stiff competition when Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps opened on July 25th. Similarly bolstered by positive reviews, First Steps had a strong box office debut of its own, earning $117 million domestically and $216 million worldwide. Superman may have narrowly edged Fantastic Four out in terms of a head to head showdown, but First Steps also exceeded its expectations, giving Marvel a much-needed box office hit.
As Superman opened in theaters, reports indicated Warner Bros. executives would be happy if the film made “more than $500 million globally,” a figure it has already surpassed. Some may try to paint Superman‘s box office in a negative light if it ultimately fails to match Man of Steel‘s global total, but there’s some nuance to consider there as well. The DC Extended Universe that Man of Steel kicked off ultimately proved to be very divisive, and multiple projects did not meet commercial expectations. Superman was seen as a clean reset aiming to reestablish audience trust and enthusiasm in the DC brand. By that metric, it was successful; Superman is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and has strong word of mouth amongst moviegoers. People are excited to see more of David Corenswet’s Superman and are curious to learn more about the mysterious Superman follow-up Gunn is working on.
In the 2010s, it became commonplace for superhero movies to hit $1 billion worldwide, but it’s worth remembering that some of Hollywood’s biggest franchises came from humble beginnings. Unadjusted for inflation, Iron Man kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe with $585.7 million worldwide and Batman Begins earned a modest $375.4 million worldwide. As Gunn reiterated ahead of Superman‘s premiere, Superman was never under an inordinate amount of pressure to break box office records. Gunn would have been pleased as long as Superman made back its budget. Now that the DCU is established and seems to have viewers onboard, perhaps the next Superman film can be an even bigger hit.
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