James Gunn Blames Anti-American Sentiment for Poor International ‘Superman Box Office’
James Gunn recently spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the mixed reactions to the new “Superman” movie, especially the backlash from conservative groups before it even hit theaters.
Fox News and other right-wing outlets called the film “SuperWoke” after Gunn described Superman as an “immigrant” and “the story of America” in an interview with the Times of London.
Gunn shared his confusion about the criticism. “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,” he said.
He explained that the comment about Superman being an immigrant story came from the fact that the original creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, were children of immigrants. 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 talked more about what he believes the movie is really about. “That’s the thing we can all act upon, is kindness,” he said. Gunn thinks kindness affects everything from how people vote to how they behave daily. “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. So that was always the center of the movie for me, and it wasn’t about anything other than that.”
Despite the backlash, the film is doing well in the U.S. box office. Gunn told Rolling Stone that the movie made $235 million in the U.S. and Canada after two weekends, but the international numbers are lower, at $171 million.
He pointed out that Superman isn’t as popular internationally as some other superheroes like Batman. “Superman is not a known commodity in some places. He is not a big known superhero in some places like Batman is. That affects things,” Gunn said. He also mentioned that some anti-American feelings in the world might be making it harder for the movie overseas. Still, “there are certain countries in which it’s really performing well. Brazil and the U.K.”
Gunn described the overall reception as very positive, saying, “Having the movie come out and be something that has been embraced by people everywhere — this is just the seed of the tree that Peter and I have been watering for the past three years. So to be able to have it start off so positively has been incredibly overwhelming.”
The film “Superman,” from Warner Bros. and DC Studios, continues to play in theaters across the country. As of July 20, 2025, the movie has made $407 million worldwide, with $235 million from the U.S. and Canada and $171 million from other countries.
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