James Gunn Debunks ‘Superman’ Myth That’s Been Spreading Since Release: “Absolutely False”

Superman hit theaters a few weeks ago and has been a huge success, both with fans and at the box office. As of August 8, 2025, the film has made $326 million in the United States and Canada, and another $244 million internationally, bringing its total worldwide earnings to $570 million.

There have been some reports saying that the movie needed to make over $500 million just to break even, and more than $700 million to be considered a real success. But James Gunn, the director, recently cleared up those rumors.

On social media, a fan asked him, “People online keep saying that Superman needs to make $650 million to break even and be a success. Is that true or would you say it’s already a success? Huge fan of the movie, btw.” Gunn replied, “Absolutely false. Anyone saying that doesn’t have an understanding of the film business – and we would be idiots to make a first-in-a-franchise film that would need to make that much to be profitable.”

The movie’s box office numbers have been impressive. Superman earned $2.8 million during Tuesday previews, with a total of $21 million including Thursday previews. That number later increased to $22.5 million when counting Amazon Prime screenings.

This made it the best preview for any movie in 2025 at that time and broke the previous record held by Warner Bros. with Barbie. Experts predicted it would make between $115 million and $121 million domestically during its opening weekend, and more than $210 million worldwide.

On its first day, Superman made $56.5 million, the second-highest of the year after A Minecraft Movie. The movie debuted with $125 million, the biggest opening weekend for a standalone Superman film, beating Man of Steel’s $116.6 million in 2013. It also became the second-biggest Superman movie opening behind Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which made $166 million in 2016.

In its second weekend, the film stayed at number one with $57 million, dropping by 54%, which was better than other superhero movies in 2025 like Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts. The third weekend saw Superman drop to second place, earning $24.9 million after being overtaken by The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Still, it became the first DC movie since The Batman to make over $300 million domestically.

Internationally, Superman made around $95 million in its opening weekend. Top countries included the United Kingdom with $9.8 million, Mexico $8.8 million, and China $6.6 million. However, some areas like China saw weaker results, partly because Superman is seen as a very American character, and America isn’t as popular everywhere right now.

Fans can also look forward to a sequel, which is already being developed. James Gunn said the next movie won’t be a simple follow-up and that he is already writing it. David Zaslav, a media executive, called it the next chapter in the “Super-Family,” confirming that Gunn will be back as director and writer.

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