James Gunn’s Superman Officially Becomes Highest-Grossing Superman Film Domestically, Surpassing All DCEU Superman Entries
James Gunn’s new Superman movie has become the highest-grossing Superman film ever in the U.S., beating the previous record held by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The film had a strong start, making $217 million worldwide in its opening weekend. Of that, $122 million came from the U.S. box office and $95 million from other countries.
According to a report from Deadline, Superman has now earned over $331 million in the U.S. alone after five weeks in theaters. This breaks Henry Cavill’s record of $330 million for the highest domestic earnings for a Superman movie from Warner Bros.
Globally, the movie has brought in more than $569 million so far. This makes it the top-grossing superhero movie of 2025, beating out Marvel’s Thunderbolts*, Captain America: The Brave New World, and The Fantastic Four.
The movie is also on track to end Marvel’s long streak of dominating the superhero box office for 17 years. Even though Superman has done better than Batman v Superman in the U.S., it still needs over $300 million more worldwide to pass that film’s global earnings. Right now, Superman is the 11th highest-grossing Warner Bros. movie domestically, just under Aquaman, which made $335 million in the U.S.
The film has also been well-received by critics and audiences. On Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 472 critics gave positive reviews. The site’s summary says, “Pulling off the heroic feat of fleshing out a dynamic new world while putting 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 movie has a score of 68 out of 100, meaning generally favorable reviews.
Here you go: the #Superman trailer. Krypto, take us home.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 19, 2024
Watch the teaser trailer now and ❤ this post to get updates from @superman before it hits theaters this July. pic.twitter.com/w77kiKef54
Some critics thought the movie was fun and colorful but felt it had too many characters and ideas. The acting by David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult got praise from reviewers. CinemaScore found audiences gave the movie an average grade of “A−,” the same as Man of Steel. PostTrak said 86% of viewers liked the movie, and 74% said they would definitely recommend it.
James Gunn wrote and directed the film, which is the first movie in the new DC Universe and a reboot of the Superman series. David Corenswet stars as Clark Kent, also known as Superman. Other actors include Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, and Isabela Merced.
The story follows Superman dealing with the fallout after he steps into an international crisis caused by billionaire Lex Luthor, played by Hoult. Superman tries to regain the public’s trust with the help of a reporter and his superhero friends.
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