James Gunn Reportedly Earned 5 Times More for Directing Superman Than the Film’s Lead Actors Combined

The new Superman movie has officially landed in theaters, and while fans are talking about the story and the action, there’s also a lot of buzz around how much people involved with the production earned.

Nicholas Hoult, who plays the villain Lex Luthor, reportedly made $2 million for the role. That makes him the highest-paid actor in the film.

David Corenswet, who wears the Superman cape, was paid $750,000. The same goes for Rachel Brosnahan, who plays Lois Lane. Both of them have deals that include bonus money if the movie does well at the box office.

This kind of deal is pretty common for newer stars taking on big roles. Corenswet is still considered a fresh face in film, and while Brosnahan is known from TV, she hasn’t had major movie roles before this.

In most movies, the lead actors take home the biggest paychecks. But that wasn’t the case with Superman. According to reports, James Gunn was the highest paid person on the film, earning around $15 million just for directing. That’s about 20 times more than David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan.

Gunn also collects a separate seven-figure salary from his role as the head of DC Studios.

The movie itself wasn’t cheap to make or promote. Production costs reportedly reached $225 million, and Warner Bros. spent another $125 million to market the film worldwide. Part of that marketing budget went toward flashy stunts, like placing a giant Superman figure at the top of London’s Shard skyscraper just before release. According to a rival studio executive, that stunt alone may have cost over $1 million.

Warner Bros. was reportedly aware that Superman might not perform as strongly overseas, since the character is so closely tied to “the American way,” making it harder to connect with international audiences.

The movie needs to gross at least $500 million to break even, or $700 million to be considered a true success. As of July 17, 2025, Superman has grossed $155 million in the United States and Canada, and $159.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $314.5 million, so it’s getting there.

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