It’s Officially The End Of An Era For James Gunn Superman Movie’s Box Office Debate

Superman has proven that the debate about its box office has reached its end, with the DC Universe movie finally confirming the high expectations set for it. While James Gunn has said that he did not need Superman to reach the huge box office numbers that some were expecting for the film, the DCU’s Chapter One still needed it to succeed.

At the time of writing, Superman‘s worldwide total stands at $614.2 million. While that might not be quite up there with expectations, it is a solid start for DC’s 10-year movie plan in Gunn’s new shared universe. Additionally, Superman has managed to break box office records and even defeat Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel in a key metric.

James Gunn’s Superman Movie Defeated Man Of Steel In 1 Major Way

Henry Cavill's Superman looks down while flying in Man of Steel — Henry Cavill’s Superman looks down while flying in Man of Steel

The Superman movie box office debate can now end because the DC film is objectively successful. Based on a $225 million budget, not counting marketing expenses, Superman‘s box office run needed to finish within the $450 million and $562.5 million to break even. At $614.2 million worldwide, the DCU movie has managed to fly past the high end of the projection.

That means Superman will be profitable for DC Studios. What is left then is to figure out just how much it will contribute to the studio, which has now been revealed. According to Variety, Superman is bringing in $125 million in theatrical profit for DC.

In comparison, that is bigger than the $42.7 million in profit from 2013’s Man of Steel despite Superman‘s lower overall box office. Superman also ranks higher than Henry Cavill’s only DC solo movie when it comes to the domestic market. Gunn’s Superman is currently at $353.4 million domestically, which leaves Man of Steel‘s $291 million domestic total behind.

A Superman Sequel Has Already Been Announced

James Gunn David Corenswet Nicholas Hoult Superman lex Luthor

With Superman’s box office and reviews pleasing DC and Gunn, a sequel really only seemed like a matter of time. Well, it did not take long at all for the director to announce to the world that Superman would be back in theaters in just two years. Man of Tomorrow, the тιтle of the Superman movie sequel, will be released on July 9, 2027.

After the film’s announcement, Gunn revealed the Superman sequel’s story. According to him, David Corenswet’s Superman and Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor will be forced to team up against a bigger threat than Lex. Man of Tomorrow starts filming in April 2026. The quick turnaround shows DC’s confidence in Superman as a franchise.

With the reveal of the DC movie’s theatrical profit confirmed and the sequel already being nearly at the shooting stage, any debate about Gunn’s Superman box office has to be put to bed. It is clear now that Superman is a success that DC can keep building on with new releases.

Supergirl Can Continue Superman’s DCU Legacy Next Year

Milly Alcock as Supergirl in James Gunn's Superman movie — Milly Alcock as Supergirl in James Gunn’s Superman movie

While Man of Tomorrow will be the direct follow-up to its story and characters, another DCU movie will come first, and it could also use Superman‘s success to its advantage. After debuting at the end of Superman, Milly Alcock’s Supergirl leads her own solo film in 2026, which features Krypto, the scene-stealing Superdog from the DCU’s first movie.

After Superman was received positively, showing audiences that DC is bouncing back from the DCEU’s controversial releases, Supergirl could use that momentum and the heroine’s direct ties to the Man of Steel to boost its box office chances. The movie will be a good test of how much of an impact Superman has had on audiences’ interest in the DCU.