James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ Reportedly Breaks Franchise Box Office Opening Record

James Gunn’s Superman is off to a powerful start, pulling in an estimated $123 million at the U.S. box office in its first weekend. While these numbers aren’t official from Warner Bros. yet, multiple sources, including Deadline, say it’s a big win for both the studio and Gunn.

This movie is the first live-action entry in DC Studios’ new chapter, called “Gods and Monsters,” and fans showed up strong. Saturday earnings came in around $37 million, dropping only 34% from Friday.

For comparison, Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel earned $116.6 million during its opening weekend back in 2013. That means Gunn’s take on the superhero is already the biggest debut for a Superman origin movie ever. Only Batman v Superman had a bigger Superman opening overall, with $166 million.

While some people expected even more, thanks to a $22 million preview night, the $120M+ mark is still a great result. Early concerns about whether the movie’s tone or James Gunn’s political comments might hurt the box office didn’t seem to come true.

According to EntTelligence, red county theaters (more conservative areas) brought in about 34% of sales, which is normal for PG-13 family adventure movies. Blue county theaters (more liberal areas) made up around 60%—right where they usually land.

Critics and audiences seem to be enjoying the film. It earned an A- CinemaScore and a strong 86% positive score from moviegoers polled by Comscore and Screen Engine’s PostTrak.

Gunn’s version of Superman is connecting well with younger audiences too. People under 35 made up about two-thirds of ticket buyers, and 49% of them said they bought tickets on the same day, which is a great sign of strong word-of-mouth.

Audience reactions have been positive. “It looked fun and exciting,” said nearly half of the people surveyed. Others said they came because it’s a superhero film or because they liked the franchise. Some also pointed to the cast, including David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult, as a reason they were interested.

Marketing also played a role, with social media being the most influential for 20% of the audience. The trailers shown in theaters and online were also key in getting people to buy tickets. Interestingly, some fans were skeptical about the early trailers, especially ones that focused on Krypto the Superdog or robots.

But those who saw the movie were pleasantly surprised. “A lot was kept out of the trailers, and that was actually smart,” a fan at the Mann’s Chinese Theatre said. That Friday night IMAX showing was nearly sold out, and many people stayed for the credits, some even cheering at the end.

Gunn’s Superman now ranks as the second-highest opening of his career, behind Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which made $146.5 million. It’s also Warner Bros.’ second movie this year to cross $100 million in an opening weekend, following A Minecraft Movie.

The film cost around $225 million to make before marketing. So while it still has a way to go to break even, this opening is a strong step forward for both DC Studios and the summer box office as a whole. The second weekend of July is shaping up to be one of the best in recent years, with total earnings across all movies expected to hit around $197 million.

The numbers were first reported by Deadline.

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