‘Superman’ and DC Studios fly to a $122 million opening
[July 14, 2025]
By JAKE COYLE
NEW YORK (AP) — In a bid to kickoff a new era for DC Studios, James
Gunn’s “Superman” opened with $122 million in U.S. and Canada ticket
sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.
DC and Warner Bros. had a lot riding on “Superman.” While the Walt
Disney Co.’s Marvel Studios has had its own share of struggles, the
superheroes of DC have recently found mostly kryptonite in theaters.
Films like “Joker: Folie à Deux,” “The Flash” and “Shazam! Fury of the
Gods” all flopped.
But “Superman,” written and directed by Gunn, is intended as a new
start. It’s the first release fully steered by Gunn and Peter Safran,
co-heads of DC Studios, since they were handed the keys to DC’s
superhero cinematic universe.
And while Gunn turned “Guardians of the Galaxy” into a massive success
for Marvel, his irreverent, idiosyncratic touch made the director — once
a B-movie filmmaker with Troma Entertainment — an unlikely steward for
one of the movies’ most bankable and beloved brands.
The roughly on-target opening was the third largest of 2025, and the
first DC title to surpass $100 million in its opening weekend since
“Wonder Woman” in 2017. Warner Bros. could also celebrate a unique hot
streak: “Superman” is their fifth movie in a row to open over $45
million.
“It's quite a win for DC Studios,” said Jeffrey Goldstein, chief of
distribution for Warner Bros. “We needed to get the trust of the fanbase,
and we didn't have it. They were clear to us that we needed to take a
step back and reinvent ourselves.”
Ticket sales were relatively soft for “Superman” overseas. In 78
international markets, it grossed $95 million. In China, it collected
just $6.6 million.
David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm FranchiseRe, called
the international performance the only ding against the otherwise strong
“Superman” debut.
“Thus far, the foreign openings are not equal to domestic," said Gross.
"Superman has always been identified as a quintessentially American
character and story, and in some parts of the world, America is
currently not enjoying its greatest popularity.”
As an American icon, “Superman” also attracted political discourse at
home. Some right-wing commentators criticized the movie as “woke” after
Gunn described the superhero from Krypton as “an immigrant.” On X, the
White House posted an image of President Donald Trump as Superman.
In “Superman,” which cost about $225 million to make, Gunn steers the
Man of Steel in a drastically different tonal direction than in previous
iterations from filmmaker Zack Snyder. Skipping the Kansas origin story,
the film instead picks up with Superman ( David Corenswet ) after his
first defeat. Rachel Brosnahan plays Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult is Lex
Luthor.
The “Superman” debut didn’t come close to besting the $166 million
launch for Snyder’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” in 2016. But
it did open higher, not accounting for inflation, than Snyder’s “Man of
Steel.” That film debuted with $116 million in 2013.
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Rachel Brosnahan poses for photographers upon arrival at a fan
screening of Superman, on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, in London. (Photo
by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
 But while Snyder’s films were often
unloved by critics, largely good reviews greeted Gunn’s “Superman.”
On Rotten Tomatoes, it scored 82% fresh — the best for the franchise
since the first two movies with Christopher Reeve: “Superman” (1978)
and “Superman II” (1980). Audiences gave it an “A-” CinemaScore.
“Superman” faced sizeable competition too. Last week’s top film,
“Jurassic World Rebirth,” slid to second place with $40 million.
With “Superman” soaking up many large-format screens, Universal
Pictures’ seventh “Jurassic” film slipped a steep 57% from its
opening weekend. Starring Scarlett Johansson, “Jurassic World
Rebirth” got off to a thunderous $318.3 million global start. In two
weeks, it’s amassed $529.5 million worldwide.
Also still in the mix is Apple Studios’ biggest box-office success
yet, “F1.” Joseph Kosinski’s Formula One action thriller, starring
Brad Pitt, came in third with $13 million in its third weekend. The
film, distributed by Warner Bros., has collected $393.4 million
globally in three weeks. But it also carries a hefty price tag of
roughly $250 million, plus at least $100 million in promotion.
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors
in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and
Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. “Superman,” $122 million.
2. “Jurassic World Rebirth,” $40 million.
3. “F1: The Movie,” $13 million.
4. “How to Train Your Dragon,” $7.8 million.
5. “Elio,” $3.9 million.
6. “28 Years Later,” $2.7 million.
7. “Lilo & Stitch,” $2.7 million.
8. “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” $1.5 million.
9. “M3gan 2.0,” $1.4 million.
10. “Materialists,” $720,498.
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