Superman is shaping up to be the box office hit DC desperately needed as the DC Universe franchise kicks off. According to Deadline, director James Gunn’s reboot grossed around $56.5 million domestically in its opening day, putting it on pace to earn somewhere between $115-121 million over its first weekend. That figure would be the strongest start for a DC Comics adaptation since Matt Reeves’ The Batman debuted with $134 million in 2022. There were six DC films released between The Batman and Superman, none of which were a significant box office draw.
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Animated film DC League of Super-Pets ($23 million) and live-action efforts Black Adam ($67 million), Shazam! Fury of the Gods ($30.1 million), The Flash ($55 million), Blue Beetle ($25 million), and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom ($27.6 million) all failed to leave much of an impression in their opening weekends. Superman has a strong chance to surpass the debut of Man of Steel ($116.6 million), but it’ll fall short of topping Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ($166 million).
Superman was always expected to get off to a strong start at the box office. Its opening weekend projections didn’t change even after Jurassic World Rebirth posted its own massive debut over Fourth of July weekend. It became clear Superman was going to have one of the year’s biggest openings after it earned $22.5 million from preview screenings, a new high for the year and a career best for Gunn.
Giving Superman‘s box office prospects a boost is word of mouth. The film has received positive reviews, with much praise being given to the performances of the cast and Gunn’s hopeful storytelling approach. Audiences are responding positively to the film as well. The Deadline report notes Superman has an A- CinemaScore, suggesting more people will be inclined to check it out since audiences are enjoying it.
Leading up to Superman‘s release, Gunn always maintained the pressure the film was under to perform at the box office was overblown. However, it was obviously extremely pertinent for it to post a strong debut. As the first theatrical release in the DCU, Superman needed to be a hit in order to build excitement for the franchise’s burgeoning future. There are already more DCU films on the release calendar, including Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and Clayface next year. If Superman got off to an uneven start, that would have dampened enthusiasm for Gunn’s vision of the shared universe. But now, Superman should have no trouble hitting the $500 million target figure Warner Bros. Discovery has set.
A high opening weekend is great, but the real test for Superman will be how it holds in the coming weeks. If the reactions are anything to go by, it should have strong legs and become one of the highest-grossing titles of the summer. It’ll be important for it to have a low second weekend drop-off, allowing it to earn as much money as possible before The Fantastic Four: First Steps comes out. If Superman holds well, the DCU will be off to a terrific start.
