Biggest domestic box office launch ever for a solo Superman film
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Film and Television Discussion
CrystalRaindrops — 8 months ago(July 13, 2025 07:50 PM)
Superman got James Gunn’s rebooted DC Universe off to a flyer with a global weekend take of $217 million at the box office.
Domestically, Superman powered to $122 million, which was enough to make it the biggest domestic launch ever for a solo Superman film, not adjusted for inflation. That’s more than Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, which kicked off the DCEU with $116.7 million domestically in 2013, and Superman Returns, which hit $52.5 million in 2006. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which included Justice League characters, launched to $166 million domestically in 2016.
Superman’s strong North American launch is the biggest superhero movie opening weekend since last summer’s billion dollar blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine, which hit $211 million domestically. That means Superman launched bigger than Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts* / The New Avengers. It’s also the biggest DC movie in a long time, and the first to hit a $100 million domestic box office launch since Wonder Woman’s $103.3 million in 2017. Internationally, Superman launched a little soft with $95 million.
In terms of 2025 films, Superman is behind only A Minecraft Movie ($162.8 million) and the live-action Lilo & Stitch ($146 million) at the domestic box office for launch weekend returns. And compared to prior James Gunn movies, Superman is second behind Guardians of the Galaxy 2 ($146.5 million), but ahead of the other Guardians films, including 2023's Guardians 3 ($118.2 million).
It is, after all, kickstarting Gunn and fellow DC Studios CEO Peter Safran’s rebooted DCU, which already has a number of eye-catching follow-ups in the works. For example, Superman leads into the events of HBO Max series Peacemaker Season 2. Then, next year, the DCU continues on the big screen with Supergirl starring Milly Alcock, and Clayface starring Tom Rhys Harries. If Superman flops, it will call into question the viability of everything that follows.
https://www.ign.com/articles/james-gunns-dcu-kickstarter-superman-powers-to-biggest-domestic-box-office-launch-ever-for-a-solo-superman-film
