Summary
Supermanhas flown into the summer movie scene and made an instant impact to kickstart James Gunn’s time running things at DC Studios. With this being the first movie in the relaunch of the DCU, there was no shortage of pressure onSupermanto deliver an entertaining movie that was also financially successful, and it appears to have done just that, sending a message to Marvel Studios in the process.
Supermanhas dominated at the box office this summer, proving that there is still a great deal of interest in the Man of Steel from the general public. Regardless of comments about superhero fatigue, it appears thatSupermanwill always have a lasting impact, and it has already surpassed several major superhero movies released earlier this year.
Supermanmay have only been released on July 11, but it has made an impressive start at the box office in its first few weeks.The DC movie grossed $235 million at the domestic box office, which was more than whatCaptain America: Brave New World($200 million) andThunderbolts($189 million) managed in a single weekend. Meanwhile,Supermanalso brought in a further $165 million at the international box office, with its total standing at $400.9 million, which has already surpassed the entire run ofThunderbolts*, which ended at $383 million.Captain America: Brave New Worldmanaged to gross $413.6 million during its theatrical run, but that is also something that will likely be surpassed by Superman.
It’s an impressive start to Gunn’s time in charge of DC, continuing on from the success he found in this genre with theGuardians of the Galaxytrilogy. Despite some fans wondering ifSupermanwould end up being too comedic, while others claimed that it was too political with its subliminal messaging, it appears that the general public has been impressed.
It’s the type of result that this new era of the DCU needed, with Gunn getting an early victory under his belt with one of DC’s biggest characters. That will allow the franchise to build upon stable foundations moving forward, while also setting up the possibility of a sequel toSupermanin a bid to truly capitalize on its box office success.David Corsonswet has been praisedfor his individual performance, while Nicholas Hoult was equally as compelling as Lex Luthor.Supermanhas an 83% approval rating from critics and an even stronger 92% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, both of which have contributed to a strong package.
After a successful start forSuperman, with the movie only set to grow at the box office, the pressure will now be onThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsto try and dethrone the Man of Steel to become the most successful comic book movie of the year. The upcoming film is Marvel Studios’ big summer offering and has received rave reviews from critics who have seen it, but it remains to be seen whether that will translate to financial success at the box office. The upcoming Marvel film will be fighting an uphill battle againstSuperman, which remains in theatres and also has a strong word of mouth. Regardless,Supermanhas already topped two major Marvel projects this year, making it a success for DC.
