James Gunn Says Anti-American Sentiment Hurts International ‘Superman’ Box Office

James Gunn recently spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the surprising backlash his movie “Superman” faced before it even hit theaters. Some conservative outlets, including Fox News, called the film “SuperWoke” after Gunn described Superman as an “immigrant” and said the character’s story is really “the story of America.” Gunn said he’s still a bit puzzled by the criticism.

He explained, “I’ve heard people say it was woke, and then I’ve heard a lot of people say it’s not. I am curious as to what in the movie is considered woke.”

Gunn shared that his comments were based on what the Times of London reporter told him, that Superman’s creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, were sons of immigrants and made the character as an immigrant story.

Gunn added, “And I said, yeah, it’s a story about an immigrant, but mostly it’s a story to me about kindness, which it is. That’s the center of the movie for me.”

The director went on to say kindness is something everyone can practice, affecting everything from voting to everyday life. “People did value kindness in the past. That was an American value, was kindness, and it doesn’t necessarily seem to be that way to me anymore,” he said.

Gunn’s immigrant comment sparked criticism from some, like former Superman actor Dean Cain, who thought it might hurt the movie’s box office. But others defended Gunn, including his brother Sean Gunn, who told Variety, “Yes, Superman is an immigrant, and yes, the people that we support in this country are immigrants and if you don’t like that, you’re not American.”

Despite the early controversy, the film is doing very well with U.S. audiences, earning $235 million after two weekends. Internationally, the movie has earned $171 million, bringing the total worldwide box office to $406 million as of July 20, 2025.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Gunn said the movie is doing better in the U.S. than internationally but noted international numbers are still growing. He mentioned, “There are certain countries in which it’s really performing well. Brazil and the U.K.” Gunn also explained that Superman isn’t as popular globally as other superheroes like Batman, which impacts the film’s reach.

He also pointed to a larger issue, saying, “We have a certain amount of anti-American sentiment around the world right now. It isn’t really helping us.” But overall, Gunn feels positive about the film’s start and called it “the seed of the tree that Peter and I have been watering for the past three years.” He said, “To be able to have it start off so positively has been incredibly overwhelming.”

“Superman” is currently playing in theaters nationwide from Warner Bros. and DC Studios.

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