James Gunn’s Superman is finally in theaters, serving as the true launchpad for the DC Universe franchise (animated series Creature Commandos was the first official release in the new continuity). It goes without saying there’s a lot riding on the film, and now it’s been revealed what it needs to gross at the box office in order to be considered a success. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Warner Bros. Discovery execs are hoping Superman earns “more than $500 million globally” during its theatrical run. The film’s reported production budget is $225 million.
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Though the films of the DC Extended Universe proved to be polarizing, all of the ones involving Superman (including the much-maligned Justice League theatrical cut) easily cleared $500 million worldwide. Man of Steel earned $668 million, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice grossed $872.6 million, and the aforementioned Justice League made $661.3 million.
In the months leading up to Superman‘s theatrical premiere, the film’s box office prospects were the topic of much scrutiny. After Warner Bros. released some notable, expensive flops such as Joker: Folie à Deux and Mickey 17, some reports indicated that Superman could end up determining the future of the studio as a whole. There were fears within the industry that WB could be sold off a la Fox if Superman did not meet expectations.
Those concerns seem to have subsided more recently thanks to the theatrical runs of WB hits such as A Minecraft Movie and Sinners. Superman is also projected to have a very healthy opening weekend, with estimates suggesting something in the $125-145 million range domestically. Those projections did not change in the wake of Jurassic World Rebirth‘s massive debut over Fourth of July weekend, meaning Gunn might have been right to downplay the amount of pressure Superman was under.
$500+ million globally is a refreshing target number for a major studio blockbuster. Obviously, Warner Bros. Discovery wants Superman to make much more than that, but it’s nice to see the reboot isn’t under any mandate to shatter box office records. It seems like the company has much more reasonable expectations in mind, echoing Gunn’s sentiment about being happy as long as Superman recoups its budget. Even though Superman is one of the most popular fictional characters in the world, Gunn’s film is still the first installment in a new franchise. It’s more realistic to set a more modest mark to reach. Some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbuster series had humble beginnings. Iron Man kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe with $585.8 million, and Batman Begins earned $375.4 million before spawning a pair of $1 billion sequels.
Though Jurassic World Rebirth could end up having decent legs (particularly overseas), Superman shouldn’t have a problem going beyond the $500 million target. Word of mouth is on the film’s side, as reviews have been positive, praising star David Corenswet’s performance as the Man of Steel and Gunn’s optimistic, uplifting storytelling approach. Superman also has a couple of weeks before Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens, giving it a clear runway to earn a substantial amount of money before the next superhero movie arrives. As long as the opening weekend is as strong as the projections indicate, the DC Universe will get off to a great start.
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Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
