James Gunn Celebrates Fans After ‘Superman’ Flies High at Box Office

James Gunn’s new Superman movie is now playing in theaters around the world. A few days ago, the film officially launched the live-action part of the new DC Universe. David Corenswet takes on the famous role of Clark Kent, also known as Superman.

He stars alongside Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, and Isabela Merced. In this movie, Superman has to win back the trust of the world after Lex Luthor, a rich and powerful villain, tries to turn people against him.

At the box office, Superman had a strong start, but not as big as some expected. According to Deadline Hollywood and The Hollywood Reporter, the movie earned $217 million so far. Of that, $122 million came from the United States and Canada, while $95 million came from other countries.

The opening weekend was good enough to put Superman at the top of the box office and gave it the second-best opening for a Superman film. Still, the numbers are behind what experts predicted.

TheWrap said the movie needs at least $500 million worldwide just to cover its costs. To be called a real success, it would need around $700 million. International ticket sales have been lower than expected. Some experts like David A. Gross from FranchiseRe believe that Superman’s strong American image might not connect well with people in other countries.

Critics mostly liked the movie. On Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of reviewers gave it a positive score. The website’s summary says the movie “puts its champion’s big, beating heart front and center, this Superman flies high as a Man of Tomorrow grounded in the here and now.” On Metacritic, the film scored 68 out of 100, which means “generally favorable” reviews.

Audience responses were good too. CinemaScore gave the film an A− grade, which is the same score that 2013’s Man of Steel received. PostTrak showed that 86% of viewers liked the movie and 74% said they would recommend it to others.

Many critics praised the film for being fun and focusing on Superman’s hopeful message. IGN said “Superman is a wonderfully entertaining, heartfelt cinematic reset for the Man of Steel.” Forbes mentioned that this version of Superman brings back color, humor, and classic comic book vibes. AwardsWatch liked that the movie skipped the typical origin story and avoided heavy connections to past Superman films.

The New York Times called it a “goofy but charming take on Superman.” On the other hand, some critics didn’t enjoy the movie as much. The Guardian and Empire both gave it low ratings, saying that the final act was too focused on CGI action scenes and that the story was messy and overstuffed. But even some of those negative reviews admitted the film was still fun in parts.

James Gunn himself went online to thank fans for supporting the movie. He shared messages on social media after the opening weekend, happy about the positive reactions from both critics and audiences.

Before the movie came out, there were small controversies. Fans who still support the old DC movies, known as the Snyderverse, tried to hurt the film’s score online by organizing a review-bombing campaign. Gunn responded by saying they are only helping the movie as they provide free marketing. Their plan didn’t work, as most major sources reported positive reviews.

Later, another controversy popped up. It happened when Gunn said that Superman’s story is about immigration, as Superman is literally an illegal alien. Some fans who align themselves with Trump’s political views didn’t like that and started calling the film “woke.” While this didn’t stop the movie from doing well during its first weekend, it’s fair to say that it might have had some small effect on the movie’s overall performance.

For now, Superman continues to play in theaters around the world. Whether it can reach the $700 million mark and be called a hit remains to be seen.

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