Box Office: James Gunn’s Superman Soars to $120M U.S. Opening

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Jul 12

David Corenswet in James Gunn's 'Superman.' **Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures**

David Corenswet's debut as the Man of Steel launches a new chapter for DC Studios with a $55M Friday and $120M domestic debut, signaling a promising reboot of the franchise.

James Gunn’s Superman is off to a strong start at the domestic box office, flying toward a projected $115–$120 million opening weekend. The film, which stars David Corenswet in his first outing as Clark Kent, grossed $55 million on Friday alone—including a robust $22.5 million from Thursday previews and early Imax screenings.

The Warner Bros. and DC Studios tentpole is the third film of 2025 to cross the $100 million mark on opening weekend, joining A Minecraft Movie and Lilo & Stitch. While not quite reaching tracking estimates of $130 million, Superman is still a significant win in a superhero market that has shown signs of fatigue in recent years.

Despite sky-high anticipation and even viral memes featuring Donald Trump as Superman, Warner Bros. wisely tempered expectations in advance. Nevertheless, the film’s opening signals renewed interest in DC storytelling, particularly under the new leadership of Gunn and Peter Safran.

This marks the highest preview gross of Gunn’s career and the first DC film to debut north of $100 million since Wonder Woman in 2017. It’s also the first Superman-led film to open this high since Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel in 2013.

In its second weekend, Jurassic World: Rebirth is still proving competitive with an estimated $37 million haul, and F1: The Movie continues to pull in male-skewing audiences with an additional $10 million.

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Internationally, Superman is launching in 78 markets and is expected to add another $100 million-plus globally. Gunn, pulling double duty as both co-chair of DC Studios and writer-director, is now steering the franchise into a fresh era with a hopeful and reinvigorated take on the iconic hero.

The film also stars Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, alongside Skyler Gisondo, Isabela Merced, Nathan Fillion, and Edi Gathegi. It’s the first major step in a new interconnected DC universe, with upcoming projects including HBO’s Lanterns and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, slated for 2026.