In another major victory for DC Studios, James Gunn’s Superman has reached new heights of success after surpassing US$500 million at the global box office. The latest comic book adventure is now the first DC film to cross the domestic tally of US$300 million in three years, with The Batman grossing US$369.2 million at the end of its run.
Notably, the milestone puts it ahead of Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, which accumulated US$291 million in 2013, not adjusted for inflation. It should be noted that the overtaking only applies to the domestic market, as the latter stands at US$670.1 million worldwide. The Henry Cavill-starring pic was also the last solo outing for the Last Son of Krypton, who returned to the big screen in the 2016 sequel Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. If all goes well, Superman will soon overtake its domestic haul of US$330.4 million as well.
Now in its fourth weekend, Junn’s film joins Warner Bros.’ A Minecraft Movie, Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch, and Universal’s Jurassic World Rebirth in the US$300 million club, becoming only the fourth title of 2025 to do so. The road ahead may not be as smooth-sailing, however, as it continues to face competition from F1: The Movie, which has veered past US$500 million globally, and of course, Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
By all accounts, both superhero tentpoles are a hit among audiences and critics alike, each scoring an A on CinemaScore. On Rotten Tomatoes, Marvel’s latest is currently in the lead with 86 per cent and 91 per cent from critics and audiences, respectively, versus 83 per cent and 91 per cent for Superman. Comic book enthusiasts are the real winners, either way.
Superman has certainly borne fruit for DC Studios, living up to sky-high expectations as the launchpad to Chapter One of the rebooted cinematic universe. In it, David Corenswet (Pearl) takes on the role of the titular character, with Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) portraying The Daily Planet journalist and Superman’s love interest, Lois Lane.
Meanwhile, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is directed by WandaVision‘s Matt Shakman and serves as the 37th title in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It stars Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) as Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby (The Crown) as Sue Storm / Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) as Ben Grimm / The Thing, and Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things 4) as Johnny Storm / Human Torch, eschewing their origin stories for a new adventure in the retro-futuristic setting of an alternate universe known as Earth-828.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
