Superman’s Short Theatrical Window is Peacemaker’s Fault (& It Makes Sense)

Superman is coming to home media faster than a speeding bullet, but there’s a good reason why. In an interview with Screen Rant to promote the upcoming Peacemaker Season 2, Superman director and DC Studios co-head James Gunn explained the surprising decision to release Superman on PVOD later this month. Though the filmmaker is always in favor of a long theatrical window, he also wanted to ensure everyone had an opportunity to watch Superman before Peacemaker Season 2 debuts on HBO Max. Initially, Gunn thought Peacemaker would return in September, but changes to the schedule forced DC Studios to send Superman to homes earlier than anticipated.

“Well, it’s very complicated, but the truth is it is because of Peacemaker,” Gunn said. “I originally thought Peacemaker was going to be coming out next month. There was a lot of things that are beyond our control, so that Peacemaker is coming out now, and, at the end of the day, I wanted everyone to be able to see Superman that wanted to, even those people who couldn’t get to a theater before Peacemaker. And that’s really the reason for it.”

Gunn has previously described Peacemaker Season 2, which premieres on August 21st, as the “direct follow-up” to Superman. Peacemaker is set to feature appearances from characters who were in Superman, such as the Justice Gang. During a panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July, Gunn teased that other Superman characters could have a role on Peacemaker.

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It was recently announced that Superman will be available on PVOD platforms such as Apple, Amazon, and Fandango on August 15th — a little over a month after the film debuted in theaters. Physical copies are set to release on September 23rd. Superman is one of the biggest box office hits of the year so far, having earned $583.1 million worldwide as of this writing, so many were surprised to see it hit home media so soon.

After exceeding box office expectations with a $125 million domestic debut, Superman has had strong legs throughout its box office run. It dropped only 53.2% in its second weekend, a great hold for a franchise blockbuster. Since the film is still making money in theaters, an argument can be made that DC Studios should have held off releasing Superman on digital. However, Gunn’s reasoning for the decision makes sense. As the next chapter of the DC Universe, Peacemaker Season 2 is connected to Superman; the movie shouldn’t be homework to enjoy and/or understand the show, but it’s nice that people have the option to watch both at home so they can get the full scope if they want.

With Superman about to hit PVOD, its box office numbers will probably take a hit in the coming weekends. But that shouldn’t negatively impact the film; it’s already considered a commercial success, getting the DCU off on the right foot. Though Superman didn’t fare as well internationally, it’s still the highest-grossing comic book adaptation of the year and the highest-grossing Superman film of all time in the United States. Gunn is already working on the next chapter of his Superman saga, so everyone is happy with how the movie performed. Whatever sales it makes from digital rentals and purchases will only complement the box office numbers.