Early projections for Superman‘s opening weekend are out. While James Gunn recently said that he would be happy if the DC Universe’s first movie managed to make back its budget. Superman is a project that all of Hollywood is watching, and DC is making sure moviegoers are aware of the film with a marketing campaign that has heated up considerably over the past month. With Superman‘s Amazon Prime Early Access screenings breaking Fandango‘s record for best first-day pre-sales in 2025, interest is high in the upcoming DC movie, and that seems to be translating into a box office hit.
According to the National Research Group (via ᴅᴇᴀᴅline), Superman is projected to have a mᴀssive domestic opening weekend, landing between $125M-$145M. However, sources claim a $90M-$125M debut for the DC movie is closer to what should happen. The first movie in the DCU’s slate has dealt with conflicting reports regarding its budget, which is said to be around $363.8 million.
If that figure is accurate, Superman would need to reach the $736.6M-$909.5M range to break even, which would be a tall order. That said, DC claims Superman‘s budget is $225 million after tax/incentives breaks, so the $450M-562.5M range would guarantee that the movie makes back its production budget, marketing, and other expenses.
What Superman’s New Opening Weekend Box Office Projection Means
Zack Snyder’s Man Of Steel Could Be Left Behind
As the new DC Universe replaces the old DCEU, there have been a lot of comparisons between Gunn’s Superman movie and Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. Apart from being films focused on Superman, both projects served as the first movies in their respective cinematic universes. Man of Steel‘s healthy $670.1M box office total (via Box Office Mojo) helped launch the DCEU, and after the past few DC films all underperformed at the box office, there have been doubts about whether Gunn’s Superman could beat Man of Steel‘s total gross.
However, the new Superman opening weekend box office projection suggests that could happen. If the DC movie has a domestic opening weekend in the reported $125M-$145M range, then it would mean Gunn’s Superman will top Man of Steel‘s opening weekend, as the DCEU movie arrived in theaters with $116.6M. Even what ᴅᴇᴀᴅline claims is the more realistic projection of $90M-$125M could see the DCU movie top Man of Steel if it debuts on the higher end of projection. Either way, Gunn’s Superman has a decent chance of outgrossing Snyder’s Superman movie at the end of its box office run.
Our Take On Superman’s New Opening Weekend Box Office Projection
The DCU Should Be Off To A Strong Start
Compared to the DCEU, if Gunn’s Superman movie has an opening weekend of $125M-$145M, it could end up having the second-best domestic opening, only losing to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which flew into theaters for a mᴀssive $166M debut. I’m hopeful about the DCU movie’s box office chances after seeing what its domestic opening weekend is looking like. With its international numbers, Superman will likely make back its production budget in its first weekend in theaters. Man of Steel was a successful film, and the fact that Gunn’s Superman is tracking ahead of it is exciting.
Source: National Research Group (via ᴅᴇᴀᴅline)
