Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! It's James Gunn's Superman soaring at the box office as he and Peter Safran's new-look DCU takes flight. In fact, t
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! It’s James Gunn’s Superman soaring at the box office as he and Peter Safran’s new-look DCU takes flight. In fact, to say David Corenswet’s Man of Steel is proving a hit with cinemagoers would be something of an understatement: the first solo Supes movie since, well, Man Of Steel actually has bagged a cold $217 million at the global box office in its opening weekend, with a hefty $122 million of that love for DC’s star spangled hero coming, as you may expect, from American audiences.
To put those figures — which have given Superman the third best domestic opening of 2025, behind only A Minecraft Movie and Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch — into context, Gunn’s movie is the first DC movie since 2017’s Wonder Woman to enjoy a launch north of $100 million stateside, and stands elevated as the best ever opening for a solo Superman joint. All of which is to say that despite some mixed reviews for the movie, and a fair bit of spirited social media discourse among DC’s passionate fanbase, Gunn’s reinvention of Detective Comics’ Big Blue Boy Scout as a symbol of relentless optimism in a world stuffed to the gills with metahumans and their ilk has clearly hit the right chord (C Major, if you were wondering, music lovers) with the paying public.
Director Gunn, who took a gigantic gamble pivoting from making Guardians Of The Galaxy movies at Marvel to head up the newly christened DC Studios, is clearly relishing his hard-fought success on the other side. Taking to Threads earlier this evening, Gunn wrote: “I’m incredibly grateful for your enthusiasm and kind words over the past few days. We’ve had a lot of “Super” in Superman over the years, and I’m happy to have made a movie that focuses on the “man” part of the equation – a kind person always looking out for those in need. That that resonates so powerfully with so many people across the world is in itself a hopeful testament to the kindness and quality of human beings. Thank you.”
With Superman flying high at the box office, Supergirl wrapped and well on its way, James Watkins’ Clayface starting to take shape, and no shortage of other DCU projects in the works as the burgeoning cinematic universe’s ‘Gods & Monsters‘ phase comes together, things are really starting to look up for DC right about now. And you know what that means? Yes, that the pressure’s on for the MCU and The Fantastic Four: First Steps to deliver now, sure; but also, more importantly, that Krypto is about to get all the belly rubs and snacks a superdog can eat. Good boy!
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