Man of Steel Beat Superman at the Box Office, but James Gunn’s Movie Will Be the Real Winner

In a twist worthy of 2025’s chaos, summer 2025’s box office duel between Man of Steel and James Gunn’s Superman reboot ended in a bit of a draw. While the latter film surpassed Man of Steel (and all other solo Superman movies) by a considerable margin domestically, Man of Steel and its $670 million worldwide gross reigned supreme over Superman, which will end its global theatrical run with around $610 million. Technically, Man of Steel is still supreme, globally, but that’s no reason for anyone at Warner Bros to despair.

On the contrary, Superman is a major hit (it’s the biggest non-Lilo & Stitch movie of summer 2025 in North America); the reboot also looks poised to be the major winner between itself and Man of Steel, in the long run. Superman’s story is only beginning, and Gunn’s film has set him up in the best possible way.

Why Did Man of Steel Have A Bigger Worldwide Box Office?

Man of Steel’s $379 million overseas gross in June 2013 reflects a very potent point in time for American blockbusters. Avatar (2009) and Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) reflected turning points for how much American blockbusters could gross in key international territories. Simultaneously, digital 3D was taking off in the overseas theatrical moviegoing space, and key markets like China were opening up hundreds of new theaters every year. There were unprecedented numbers of overseas moviegoers to tap into who were eager to see the next Avatar or Dark of the Moon in theaters.

This 2010s reality is what led to circumstances like Warcraft grossing just $47.3 million domestically, yet $439 million worldwide. Meanwhile, in summer 2013, Fast & Furious 6 grossed $550 million internationally alone, more than 2.5 times the $204 million overseas gross of Fast & Furious from four years earlier. Within this fray, Man of Steel got a major boost, particularly with its $63.5 million China gross. A decade later, international territories have grown a lot colder to many American blockbusters; China has moved on to homegrown blockbusters like The Wandering Earth or Ne Zha 2 instead of settling for Terminator: Genisys.

In 2013, World War Z, Pacific Rim, and The Wolverine all made $300+ million without breaking a sweat; major 2024 domestic hits like Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Wicked, and Gladiator II couldn’t clear that same benchmark. This reality illustrates why Superman made less than Man of Steel globally. In just 12 years, the realities of what blockbusters make lots of moolah globally have drastically changed.

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Just as it’s clear what external circumstances led to Superman making less than Man of Steel at the worldwide box office, it’s also very clear why Superman is much better-positioned for the long run. For one thing, Superman’s general reception has just been so much better than the post-release chatter about Man of Steel.

Superman Struck A Deep Chord With Audiences

In the days following Superman’s premiere, folks on social media praised the film for its zippy tone and began making affectionate memes centered on a shot of David Corenswet’s Superman grinning while lying down. The Teddybears and Iggy Pop’s “Punkrocker” song that ends the movie, meanwhile, became a viral sensation online, while Krypto was so beloved by audiences that it inspired a massive boost in dog adoption rates. While 2013’s Man of Steel had a major fanbase today, the initial discourse right after its release was centered on grim and heated debates over things like “does Superman kill?”

It just wasn’t the best immediate post-release zeitgeist for Man of Steel to wander into. The film just didn’t quite take off as a beloved cultural phenomenon, as seen by its heavy second weekend decline compared to Superman’s more modest second weekend drop. Man of Steel’s long-term cultural reputation was also adversely affected by the decision to directly follow it up with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, the latter of which begins with Cavill’s Superman being dead.

Suddenly, this new version of the Kryptonian superhero was overshadowed by the DC Extended Universe versions of Batman and Wonder Woman. His supporting cast didn’t get to come back for multiple solo films where they could get further fleshed out and garner more fans. They were instead forgotten as a Man of Steel 2 languished in development hell. Meanwhile, Corenswet’s Superman will very quickly anchor an untitled Super-Family movie set to start shooting very soon.

Building out this new Superman’s mythology and solo silver screen exploits suggest that Gunn’s take on the character is going to be the big winner in the long run. He’s going to have more chances to leave an impression on people, whereas Cavill’s more divisive Superman was quickly relegated to a supporting DCEU player. Man of Steel still being the worldwide box office champ for solo Superman movies is an impressive feat. However, it’s far from the ultimate judgement call on which 21st-century cinema Superman is going to have the longest shelf life.

Superman is now playing in theaters, Man of Steel is now streaming on HBO Max.