The new Superman movie has a big box office challenge ahead if it wants to make back its budget and turn a profit, but the DC Universe seems to be off to a solid start. When ScreenRant and other members of the media visited the Superman set in 2024, James Gunn spoke about the movie’s importance for the DCU’s other projects.

A lot is riding on Superman, so the movie has to be a hit. That said, Gunn has recently stated in interviews that the situation is not nearly as dire as some believe. The director would be happy if David Corenswet’s Man of Steel and the rest of the Superman movie cast helped the DCU’s first film make back its budget.

Superman broke ticket pre-sales and trailer records before release. That points to what should be a successful box office run. According to The Numbers, Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel ended its global run with $668 million. That film is the highest-grossing Superman solo movie, thus a good target for Gunn and DC. Here’s where the Superman movie’s projections stand:

Superman’s Budget Explained

How Much James Gunn’s Superman Movie Cost To Make?

The budget of Gunn’s Superman movie has been somewhat complicated to pinpoint, as there are conflicting reports about where exactly it lands. The Hollywood Reporter proposed that the DC film had a $363.8 million budget, which would make it one of the most expensive films ever made. That came from documents that had been filed with the Ohio government for incentives.

That lofty number does not even include the marketing budget for Superman. According to THR, DC could spend a total of $200 million to promote the film, which is more than the usual $150 million marketing budget for summer blockbusters. If those numbers were accurate, then James Gunn’s Superman movie would have a hard time in the battle for profitability.

However, it might not be as it seems. The same report claims that DC suggests the budget for Superman is $225 million after the tax breaks and incentives the movie was granted. That seems like a more realistic number for the film, being the same as what Zack Snyder had to work with for the DCEU’s first movie, Man of Steel.

How Much Superman Needs For Box Office Success

The New DC Universe Needs To Start On The Right Foot

The math to find out how much Superman needs at the box office to become successful varies depending on what budget is to be believed. Based on what DC suggests is accurate, Gunn’s Superman movie should be well underway to become profitable by the end of its opening weekend. A movie needs to make 2x-2.5x its budget to be profitable.

That accounts for the production and marketing budgets, as well as other expenses. Taking the reported $225 million budget for Superman, the DCU’s first movie would need to end its global box office run in the $450-562.5 million range to manage to break even. Anything above that would put Superman into success territory, which is what DC is gunning for.

If the reports of a $363.8 million budget are to be believed, then that mark would need to rise. James Gunn’s Superman would have to meet the $727.6-909.5 million range to reach its breakeven point. That notion seems hard to believe, and, according to a GQ interview with Gunn, is completely inaccurate. Gunn debunked it, saying, “It’s just complete and utter nonsense.”

In that interview, Gunn once again confirmed that there are plans riding on Superman‘s success. However, the director claims, “It doesn’t need to be as big of a situation as people are saying.” With Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel making $668 million worldwide to become the highest-grossing Superman solo movie, David Corenswet’s DC hero should aim to match or surpᴀss that mark.

How Much Superman Is Projected To Make At The Box Office

The DCU Should Debut With A Hit Right Out Of The Gate

With over 250 million views in 24 hours, Superman has become the most-viewed DC/Warner Bros. trailer ever. That pointed to the movie doing great at the box office, which was recently reinforced by the fact that Superman marked Fandango‘s biggest first day of pre-sales for 2025. All that excitement has since translated into healthy box-office projections for Superman.

On the back of strong reviews, Superman has an 85% critics’ score and 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing, the movie is projected to have a major box office run. According to box office analyst Luiz Fernando, Superman‘s opening weekend is projected to be in the $230-250 million range, which would be exciting for its chances.

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If that were to hold, then Gunn’s Superman would make back its budget, not accounting for marketing, in just its opening weekend. As for where Superman‘s new flight could lead, a comparison with similar DC releases could help place it. The Batman opened at $258.2M and ended at $772M. Man of Steel debuted at $200.3M and finished at $668M.

Since James Gunn’s Superman movie is projected to have a global opening weekend of $230-250 million, that would put the film in between those releases. A realistic projection would have Superman‘s final box office land at the $700-850 million mark. As long as it has the box office legs the positive reviews suggest it will, Superman should top the hero’s live-action franchise.