'Superman' Blows Audiences And Competition Away With $123 Million Opening Weekend
It’s the third highest opening weekend of the year!
Superman doesn’t have any interest in conquering Earth like the allegedly uncompromised, totally not paid off translators want him and the people of Earth to believe his parents wanted, but the box office is a completely different story. The James Gunn-directed first film entry in the new DC Universe starring David Corenswet as the title hero made $123 million in its opening weekend, the third-largest opening weekend of the year.
That $123 million only trails behind the live-action Lilo & Stitch remake’s $146 million and A Minecraft Movie’s $162 million, but is the highest opening among solo Superman movies, second in movies featuring Superman and only behind Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 for Gunn-directed films. This came off of $22 million in previews, with $2 million coming from the advance screening Tuesday for Amazon Prime members, and a $56 million opening day. The breakdowns continue as Saturday ended up at $37.7M, a 33% drop, and then Sunday dropped 25% from Saturday with $28.2M, though the $1 million bump to $123 million is due to some reports calling it a $30 million day. IMAX screens ended up bringing in $19.1 million in North America, 15.6% of the total earnings and $30.4 million globally. While international audience turnout came in lower than expected with $95 million from 78 markets, it still brought a global tally to $217 million on a $225 million budget.
James Gunn Introduces Stephen Blackehart As Sydney Happersen In 'Superman'
It seems Superman cast reveals aren’t over, and Eve Teschmacher won’t be Lex Luthor’s only underling with a name. The film’s director, James Gunn has revealed that Stephen Blackeheart will be playing one of the more obscure characters of DC Comics, Sydney Happersen.
Superman follows the big blue Boy Scout as he proves to the world that he’s trying to do good after the villainous Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) executes a plan to turn public opinion involving an aggressive Eastern European nation invading a weaker neighbor nation. It has been embraced by critics and audiences in such a way that instills confidence in the future of the DC Universe, which shifts to television with season 2 of Peacemaker in August, Lanterns seemingly in Q1 2026. The new DC Universe returns to theaters with Supergirl, starring Milly Alcock in the title role on June 26, and will be followed by Clayface on September 11.
Positive word-of-mouth will be important for a consistent box office run. While MCU films like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Captain America: Brave New World had $100 million+ opening weekends, they’re considered to have collapsed, falling off harshly in subsequent weekends. Superman’s last solo outing, 2013’s Man of Steel with Henry Cavill, stands as another comparison point, managing to gross $116 million in its opening weekend before ending its run with $670 million globally.
For the rest of the box office top 5, second place went to Jurassic World Rebirth with $40 million in its second weekend of release, a 57% drop from the previous. Still, the film starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali, has garnered a strong $232 million domestically and $529 million globally. Third place went to F1 with $13 million in its third weekend, a 50% decline from its prior weekend. So far, the Apple film has brought $136 million domestically and $393 million globally. Though F1 carries a massive $250 million price tag, and still has a long way to go to recoup it, it’s still considered impressive numbers for an adult-skewing tentpole that’s not part of an existing franchise. The live-action How to Train Your Dragon remake collected $7.8 million to land in fourth in its fifth weekend. It now stands as having earned $239 million domestically and $560 million globally to date. Elio rounds off the top 5 with $4 million from 2,730 screens in its fourth outing. The film has now earned $117 million worldwide.
As unfavorable as many of David Zaslav’s decisions were when he came in, and they’re still not forgiven, this was clearly going to be a win for him. He put out this celebratory statement: “Three years ago, I hired James Gunn and Peter Safran to reimagine and unify the creative direction of DC under one leadership team, by breathing new life and excitement into one of the most iconic storytelling franchises in the world. James and Peter’s commitment to honoring the legacy of the DC Universe while forging something new and enthralling is inspired. I remember my first meeting with James… He spoke about growing up in Missouri and how the characters of the DC Universe weren’t just stories to him, they were like his family. His personal bond with these DC heroes was powerful and I knew then that James was the right person to bring them to life. His love for the DC world runs deep, and it shines in every frame of his work. This weekend, we watched Superman soar as James Gunn’s passion and vision came to life on the big screen. Superman is just the first step. Over the next year alone, DC Studios will introduce the films Supergirl and Clayface in theaters and the series Lanterns on HBO Max, all part of a bold ten-year plan. The DC vision is clear, the momentum is real, and I couldn’t be more excited for what’s ahead.“
While not directly addressing box office, doing so posting the “#1 Movie in the World” TV spot after, Gunn posted to his socials a rather resonant message that might be the best way to close this out: “I'm incredibly grateful for your enthusiasm and kind words over the past few days. We've had a lot of "Super" in Superman over the years, and I'm happy to have made a movie that focuses on the "man" part of the equation - a kind person always looking out for those in need. That that resonates so powerfully with so many people across the world is in itself a hopeful testament to the kindness and quality of human beings. Thank you. ❤️”
Superman also stars Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Wendell Pierce as Perry White, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard, and Christopher MacDonald as Ron Troupe, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho aka Rex Mason, Stephen Blackehart as Sydney Happersen María Gabriela De Faría as Angela Spica, The Engineer, Terence Rosemore as Otis, and Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Neva Howell and Pruitt Taylor Vince in Smallville as Ma and Pa Martha and Jonathan Kent, while Bradley Cooper and Angela Sarafyan portray Clark's Kryptonian parents, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van, and the Kryptonian robots at the Fortress of Solitude are voiced by Alan Tudyk, Grace Chan, Michael Rooker, Pom Klementieff, and Jennifer Holland. Frank Grillo reprises his role as Rick Flag Sr. from Creature Commandos, working alongside Tinashe Kajese-Bolden repriseing her role from The Suicide Squad as A.R.G.U.S. member Flo Crawley. Michael Ian Black plays host of The Sphere, and more family casting is executed with Sean Gunn playing Maxwell Lord.
James Gunn, Peter Safran Update The State Of DC Studios With New Press Event
Just over two years ago, heading into three months as DC Studios co-CEOs, James Gunn and Peter Safran unveiled the first ten projects of their main DC Universe. A year later, Gunn was touching on the slate and its flexible elasticity. While January 31 had come to pass without anything major, it took just a three week wait longer with a new press event, …
Sources: Variety, Deadline (1, 2), James Gunn on Threads