‘Superman’ flexes its might in second weekend with $57.3 million
[July 21, 2025]
By JAKE COYLE
NEW YORK (AP) — James Gunn’s “Superman” showed staying power in its
second weekend at North American box offices, collecting $57.3 million
in ticket sales and remaining the No. 1 movie in cinemas, according to
studio estimates Sunday.
None of the week's new releases — “I Know What You Did Last Summer,”
“Smurfs,” and “Eddington” — came close to touching Warner Bros. and DC
Studios’ superhero success. “Superman” dipped 54% from its domestic
opening, an average decline for a big summer film.
In two weeks, “Superman” has grossed $406.8 million worldwide, a good
start for the movie DC Studios is banking on to restart its movie
operations. A big test looms next weekend, when the Walt Disney Co.
releases Marvel's “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”
Strong audience scores and good reviews should help propel the $225
million-budgeted “Superman” toward profitability in the coming weeks.
For Warner Bros. and DC Studios, “Superman” is key to kicking off a
10-year plan for the comic book adaptation studio. Co-heads Gunn and
Peter Safra were tasked with rehabilitating the flagging operation. Next
on tap are the films “Supergirl” and “Clayface” in 2026.
But “Superman” is far from flying solo in theaters right now. Universal
Pictures’ “Jurassic World: Rebirth” came in second this weekend, with
$23.4 million in its third week of release. The seventh “Jurassic”
movie, this one starring Scarlett Johansson, held its own despite the
competition from “Superman.” In three weeks, it accrued $648 million
worldwide.
Apple Studios and Warner Bros.’ “F1: The Movie” has also shown legs,
especially internationally. In its fourth weekend, the Brad Pitt racing
drama dipped just 26% domestically, bringing in $9.6 million in North
America, and another $29.5 million overseas. Its global total stands at
$460.8 million.
But both of the biggest new releases — Sony Pictures’ “I Know What You
Did Last Summer” and Paramount Pictures’ “Smurfs” — fell flat.
“I Know What You Did Last Summer” opened with $13 million, a fair result
for a movie budgeted at a modest $18 million, but a disappointing
opening for a well-known horror franchise. The film, directed by
Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, is set 27 years after the 1997 original.
Teenagers played by Madelyn Cline and Chase Sui Wonders are again
haunted for covering up a car accident.
The movie's reviews (38% “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes) were poor for “I
Know What You Did Last Summer” and audiences graded it similarly. The
film notched a “C+” on CinemaScore. The original collected $72.6 million
in its domestic run in 1997.
Paramount Pictures’ “Smurfs” debuted in fourth place this weekend with
$11 million. The latest big-screen reboot for the woodland blue
creatures prominently features Rihanna as the voice of Smurfette. But
reviews (21% “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes) were terrible. Audiences were
kinder, giving it a “B+” on CinemaScore, but the $58 million-budgeted
release will depend largely on its international sales. In 56 overseas
markets, “Smurfs” earned $22.6 million.
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This image released by Paramount Animation shows characters Papa
Smurf, voiced by John Goodman, Smurfette, voiced by Rihanna and
Vanity Smurf, voiced by Maya Erskine, from the film "Smurfs."
(Paramount Animation via AP)
 Ari Aster’s “Eddington” opened with
$4.2 million on 2,111 screens for A24. Since its premiere at the
Cannes Film Festival, “Eddington” has been particularly divisive.
The pandemic-set Western features Joaquin Phoenix as the right-wing
sheriff of a small New Mexico town who faces off with its liberal
mayor (Pedro Pascal).
While Aster’s first film, 2018’s “Hereditary” ($82.8 million
worldwide against a $10 million budget) helped establish A24 as an
indie powerhouse, but the less-than-stellar launch of “Eddington”
marks the second box-office disappointment for Aster. His 2023 film
“Beau Is Afraid” cost $35 million to make but collected just $12.4
million worldwide. “Eddington” cost about $25 million to produce.
Audiences gave it a “C+” on CinemaScore. None of Aster’s previous
films have been graded higher.
Yet collectively, Hollywood is enjoying a very good summer.
According to data firm Comscore, the 2025 summer box office is up
15.9% over the same period last year, with the year-to-date sales
running 15% ahead of 2025. Summer ticket sales have amassed about
$2.6 billion domestically, according to Comscore.
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,” $57.3 million.
2. “Jurassic World Rebirth,” $23.4 million.
3. “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” $13 million.
4. “Smurfs,” $11 million.
5, “F1: The Movie,” $9.6 million.
6. “How to Train Your Dragon,” $5.4 million.
7. “Eddington,” $4.3 million.
8. “Elio,” $2 million.
9. “Lilo & Stitch,” $1.5 million.
10. “28 Years Later,” $1.3 million.
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