Is SUPERMAN A Win For DC Studios Or Another Superhero Movie That's Underperformed?

Is SUPERMAN A Win For DC Studios Or Another Superhero Movie That's Underperformed?

Superman swooped into theaters last weekend, but is the first DC Studios movie a bona fide hit for the newly launched DCU franchise or just another superhero movie that's barely meeting expectations?

Feature Opinion
By JoshWilding - Jul 17, 2025 12:07 PM EST
Filed Under: Superman

Superman is now playing in theaters, and as the DCU reboot heads into its second weekend, all eyes are on whether it can hold up well enough to eventually be deemed a box office hit. 

At first glance, Superman is a super success for DC Studios. It's received positive reviews, performed well during its opening weekend, and restored faith in a brand which we all thought had been damaged beyond repair. However, $1 billion does not lie in the Man of Steel's future, and neither does the sort of critical acclaim movies like The Dark Knight and Black Panther received. 

That's not essential, of course, especially when DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran are facing a near-impossible task in creating a DCU that can find the same level of success as Marvel Studios' MCU. The likes of Black Adam, The Flash, and Joker: Folie à Deux have done irreparable damage to DC, and undoing that won't be easy.

In this feature, we're taking a closer look at Superman to figure out whether it's been the strong start DC Studios needed or just another superhero movie that's struggling to recapture the success of past efforts in this era of so-called "superhero fatigue."
 

5. The Reviews

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With just shy of 400 reviews, Superman is "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes at 83%. The majority of critics clearly liked the movie, but it's worth pointing out that this isn't even the best-reviewed comic book adaptation of 2025 (that's Thunderbolts*, which sits at 88%).

Still, Superman is the best-reviewed DC movie since The Batman in 2022. That's a win for the brand, even if it isn't necessarily a home run. 

Gunn has a lot of goodwill with critics thanks to an impressive filmography that includes the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and The Suicide Squad. Even so, many of them didn't hold back from highlighting Superman's flaws, with the prevailing opinion being that this isn't Gunn's best work as a writer or director. 

In other words, Gunn still needs to win over critics with his vision for the DCU. Lanterns, Supergirl, and Clayface are likely to be this studio's bigger test...
 

4. A Super(?) Opening Weekend 

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Superman opened to $125 million in North America and $95 million overseas for a $220 million global launch. It's been framed as a win, and rightly so, especially when you look back at the last few years for the DCEU (which delivered flop after flop). 

In the grand scheme of opening weekends, though, it's a good start...but not great. Yes, it was in the same ballpark as The Batman, but Deadpool & Wolverine made $211 million during its opening weekend in North America alone last summer. 

That was coming off the back of a pretty bad run for Marvel Studios, so it's not like the MCU had a huge advantage over a reboot starring the world's most recognisable superhero. 

Superman appears to be holding up well, but with a combined production/marketing budget of roughly $350 million, breaking even could be a big ask for the movie. How much that matters to Warner Bros. Discovery executives remains to be seen, but they'll want to see profits soon. 
 

3. The General Audience's Reaction

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Superman has been awarded an A- CinemaScore and has 93% on the audience-generated "Popcornmeter," so that suggests people enjoyed the movie. Word of mouth also appears strong, which is likely why it landed the biggest Tuesday of 2025 this week. 

Gunn has delivered a movie that's a crowd-pleasing, heart-warming affair. It doesn't break the mould in terms of superhero storytelling, but it does successfully reintroduce the world to a hero often written off as outdated (making him relevant again). 

How much do non-comic book fans care about the Justice Gang? That'll be the test, as we wait and see whether they choose to follow them to the likes of Peacemaker season 2 and Lanterns

Crucially, Superman felt like a fresh start for DC, and has hopefully signalled that the days of duds like Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Wonder Woman 1984 are over.
 

2. What's Next For DC Studios?

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Superman has set the tone, and Creature Commandos was a fun deep dive into the DC Universe for hardcore fans. Beyond that, we have Peacemaker season 2, a confusing addition to the DCU slate as it includes characters and actors from the DCEU. So much for a fresh start!

Then, there's Lanterns, Supergirl, and Clayface; none of those characters are A-Listers, and while the latter two movies have the potential to be hits, let's face it, neither is likely to rank among 2026's highest-grossing movies. 

We have no idea what's coming from DC Studios in 2027, though it's apparent that the slate announced at the start of 2023 was far from set in stone. Wonder Woman is supposedly being fast-tracked, but The Brave and the Bold will find itself in the unique position of competing with The Batman Part II.

Gunn is working on a mystery project, but the sooner he can get a huge event into theaters—World's Finest or Justice League—the better. 
 

1. The New Norm For Superhero Movies

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Look, we've all tried to deny it at one time or another, but box office receipts don't lie: superhero fatigue is real. There was a time when these movies were guaranteed hits, with $1 billion quickly becoming the norm for the MCU. 

In recent years, Marvel Studios has been forced by Disney to flood the marketplace with countless movies and TV shows, while Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures have delivered bomb after bomb; how can you blame audiences for losing faith in the genre when they were punished with Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter last year?

The pandemic has also changed things, as has streaming, expensive theater ticket prices, and how soon movies are readily available on Digital platforms. As a result, it's likely only the Avengers, Batman, and Spider-Man franchises that'll swing close to $1 billion. 

So, if Superman ends up making $650 million (a realistic expectation), it should be considered a win, not a loss, just because it didn't hit that magic billion mark. However, if this is the new norm for superheroes, DC Studios and Marvel Studios need to get those budgets under control.
 

SUPERMAN Outgrosses All But One DCEU Movie In North America After Passing $600 Million Worldwide
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SUPERMAN Outgrosses All But One DCEU Movie In North America After Passing $600 Million Worldwide

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MonkeyBot
MonkeyBot - 7/17/2025, 12:17 PM
Movies been out for a week dude.
Give it a rest
raianahmed50
raianahmed50 - 7/17/2025, 12:39 PM
@Monkey- good
soberchimera
soberchimera - 7/17/2025, 12:18 PM
New Mortal Kombat trailer is out
BaddestOptics
BaddestOptics - 7/17/2025, 12:51 PM
@soberchimera - this looks great. Promise me Cole Young eats a railroad spike and I'll order tickets now.
soberchimera
soberchimera - 7/17/2025, 12:52 PM
@BaddestOptics - I bet they kill him off in the first 5 minutes
dragon316
dragon316 - 7/17/2025, 12:57 PM
@soberchimera - more excited for this sequel scorpion speaks English , ed boon does get over here if they keep that voice in movie Kano is back in more excited this sequel than I was for first movie
BaddestOptics
BaddestOptics - 7/17/2025, 12:57 PM
@soberchimera - it seemed like a pretty universal critique that he sucked. Hope you're right.
harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 7/17/2025, 1:34 PM
@soberchimera - looks good but the shitty rap music doesn't fit mk at all.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 7/17/2025, 2:00 PM
@soberchimera - looks like a cgi shitshow
soberchimera
soberchimera - 7/17/2025, 2:29 PM
@McMurdo - But you liked Superman….
User Comment Image
McMurdo
McMurdo - 7/17/2025, 2:31 PM
@soberchimera - yeah cgi isn't a problem if your character and story look good. This just looks like more of the first film. Which isn't a good thing IMO. I like Jeremy Slater tho so hopefully it's better.
soberchimera
soberchimera - 7/17/2025, 2:34 PM
@harryba11zack - Literally all they had to do was use the classic theme remix from the MK 11 launch trailer and it would have over 100M views by now.
BlackStar25
BlackStar25 - 7/17/2025, 12:19 PM
Tron Out too.

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TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 7/17/2025, 12:19 PM
The movie is doing extremely well at the box office, both audiences and critics like it, and it has breathed new life into a dead brand. Yes, Superman is a win for both DC and WB, and will hopefully be just the beginning of things to come.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 7/17/2025, 12:39 PM
@TheJok3r - ...domestically.
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