‘Superman’ Soars with Highest Domestic Preview Numbers Of The Year

James Gunn’s Superman is off to a flying start. The movie brought in a massive $22.5 million just from Thursday night previews in the U.S., making it the biggest preview number of the year so far.

That total even beats the preview earnings of last year’s Barbie which did $22.3 million, and The Batman from 2022, which had $21.6 million. It’s also Gunn’s biggest preview number to date.

According to Warner Bros and DC Studios, things are looking great for the opening weekend. Right now, the film is tracking towards a $115 million to $120 million three-day total. Friday alone is expected to hit $55 million, and the weekend still has plenty of room to grow. Some insiders are even hinting at $120 million or more.

People in Los Angeles are already finding it hard to get seats for the 7PM IMAX show at AMC Citywalk, which says a lot about the hype.

There’s been some talk online about whether political views or so-called “MAGA sentiment” could affect box office numbers. But the data says otherwise. EntTelligence, a box office analytics group, reports that for PG-13 adventure movies, theaters in red counties usually make up 33% of ticket sales, while blue counties bring in around 61%. For Superman, the numbers are almost exactly the same, 60% of early ticket sales came from blue counties and 34% from red. So no, there’s no sign that politics are hurting the movie.

Also, don’t expect everyday moviegoers to make decisions based on a director’s personal views. According to EntTelligence, 44% of Superman’s audience is coming from big cities with over a million people, which is exactly what’s normal for movies like this. That’s another solid indicator the film is doing just fine.

Marketing also played a strong role. While many studios have been complaining lately that people aren’t watching trailers anymore, Warner Bros had a big win here. EntTelligence says the in-theater trailer for Superman reached 95.7 million people, helped by its placement in front of Minecraft: The Movie. That kind of reach definitely helped build excitement.

Looking at other superhero movie openings, The Batman had a $56.6 million Friday and ended up with $134 million for the weekend. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, also directed by James Gunn, had a $56 million first day and reached $146.5 million over three days. Even Guardians Vol. 3, which started at $48.1 million, closed out its opening weekend with $118.4 million. So Superman is very much in that range.

In terms of audience reaction, the movie is landing well. PostTrak shows a 78% “definite recommend” rating from general moviegoers. Families seem to love it too, with five-star ratings coming from both kids under 12 and their parents. One source said, “You can take that to the bank, seriously.”

As for how things are going at the box office right now, Superman is clearly leading the weekend. Universal’s Jurassic World Rebirth is sitting at second place with an expected $37 million. WB’s racing movie F1 is next with around $10.7 million. Universal’s How to Train Your Dragon reboot is at $5.7 million, and Disney’s Elio is at about $3.1 million.

In short, Superman is flying high, and Warner Bros looks like it has a solid hit on its hands.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!