Superman box office: James Gunn’s film ends DC’s rough patch with over $200 million collection

James Gunn's Superman continues drawing an audience on its second weekend at the box office, crossing the $200 million mark in North American markets.

Although a classic American hero, the film has also found an overseas audience. It has earned over $95 million in international markets, bringing its cumulative gross worldwide to $272 million. So, the new Warner Bros/DC collaboration has brought back the good ol' days for the comic book universe in the last few years.

The new DC film has reportedly earned $16 million domestically and is expected to cross the $55-$60 million mark in its second weekend. That means a roughly 56% drop in its collection compared to the debut collection. It puts Superman only slightly behind Matt Reeves' The Batman (2022), which reportedly noticed a 50% drop. However, the James Gunn film still earned more in its first week ($177 million) than Reeves' film ($127 million), according to Deadline.

Superman's success marks a major win for a studio struggling to win over audiences since 2022.

Superman soars past the box office figures of the recent DC projects

"Superman" London Photocall - Source: Getty

The Son of Krypton has been a sensation for the past two weeks, which offers a sign of DC's promising reboot. It seems like a refreshing change for the studio, whose last theatrical release, Joker: Folie à Deux (2024), was a major critical and commercial misfire.

The 2024 film reportedly flopped at the box office, earning $207 million against its budget of over $190 million. Despite Joaquin Phoenix's return in his Oscar-winning role, the film lost its wind to an underwhelming critical reception and negative word-of-mouth.

Before the Batman villain, Aquaman returned in James Wan's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), hoping to win over the audiences with Jason Momoa's tough act. The film reportedly earned $439.4 million against a $215 million budget, but it wasn't a resounding success. Before that, Blue Beetle and The Flash performed even worse at the box office, barely crossing their production budget figures.

The only clear success in DC's recent history was Matt Reeves' The Batman (2022), which earned over $770 million against its reported $200 million budget. It was the first project to feature Robert Pattinson as the protector of Gotham, and yet, it managed to earn the audience's love and a positive critical reception. Three years after its release, James Gunn's new film follows in its footsteps on a similar note, bringing new faces to portray the known characters.

David Corenswet's Superman shows how "kindness is the new punk-rock."

Henry Cavill portrayed the Man of Steel as a brooding hero, conflicted with ethical dilemmas as a Kryptonian native trying to make sense of his humanity. Zack Snyder's darker interpretation didn't show him only as a messiah but as a force to reckon with.

However, David Corenswet portrays the son of Krypton with zeal and humility. He also contends with his roots as an alien from outer space. However, he stays faithful to his moral code while being as flawed as a human as any of us are.

Still, whether Cavill or Corenswet, the Superman franchise has proven an enduring legacy of this DC character.