DC Studios has finally succeeded with Superman, James Gunn's new interpretation of the legendary superhero, starring David Corenswet in the title role. The movie has flown beyond projections, becoming DC's first movie since Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman (2017) to exceed the $100 million mark in its opening weekend.
With an opening at home of $122 million, Gunn's Superman performed better than Man of Steel (2013), which opened to $116 million with Zack Snyder directing and featuring Henry Cavill. Though still behind Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) opening of $166 million.
This forceful start heralds a reversal of fortune for the DC franchise, which has lately been haunted by disappointments like Joker: Folie à Deux, The Flash (2023), and Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
Superman is the first production under the full creative supervision of James Gunn and Peter Safran, the duo now in charge of DC Studios, and the first formal entry into their newly conceptualized DC Universe.
Warner Bros., which experienced its fair share of box office duds last year with movies such as Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga, has picked up right where it left off in 2025. In addition to Superman, other movies like A Minecraft Movie, Sinners, Final Destination: Bloodlines, and F1 all opened at more than $45 million at the domestic box office, further cementing the studio's renewed momentum.
Internationally, Superman contributed more than $95 million from 78 foreign markets, including a contribution of $6.6 million from China, bringing its overseas opening total to $217 million. With an estimated budget of production that stands at $225 million, the movie is headed for a bright run.
Superman emerged in a grand manner in India, collecting ₹25.50 crore in all four language versions in 3D. It began with ₹7 crore on Friday, rose to ₹9.5 crore on Saturday, but dipped slightly to ₹9 crore on Sunday. The English version was the top earner, followed by Hindi-dubbed and Telugu- and Tamil-dubbed versions.
This box office performance also placed Superman ahead of local competition. The big Hindi release Maalik, featuring Rajkummar Rao and directed by Pulkit, earned ₹14.25 crore during the same weekend. This is the third time in a month that a Hollywood release has topped a Bollywood movie in Indian theaters. Earlier, Brad Pitt's F1 surpassed Kajol's Maa, and Scarlett Johansson's Jurassic World Rebirth opened better than Sara Ali Khan's Metro… In Dino.
Gunn's take on Superman brings about a significant tone change from Zack Snyder's earlier takes. Skipping over the classic Kansas-birth origin story, the film opens with Superman after his initial big loss. Rachel Brosnahan plays Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult plays Lex Luthor, and there's a cameo from John Cena reprising his Peacemaker role.
Read also| Chitrangda Singh Praises Salman Khan for Keeping His Word on 'Battle of Galwan' Casting
