SUPERMAN Beats MAN OF STEEL To Land The Biggest Opening Weekend For A Solo Superman Movie Ever

SUPERMAN Beats MAN OF STEEL To Land The Biggest Opening Weekend For A Solo Superman Movie Ever

There's more good news for Superman, because with an estimated $123 million opening weekend in North America, the DCU movie has easily beaten Man of Steel to set an impressive new record for the hero.

By JoshWilding - Jul 13, 2025 04:07 AM EST
Filed Under: Superman
Source: Deadline

Deadline is reporting that Superman made an estimated $37 million on Saturday (a solid -34% dip), a strong indication that it will open to a super $123 million in North America. 

This is the biggest debut for a solo Superman movie ever, beating Man of Steel's $116.6 million in 2013. It's behind Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but the 2016 blockbuster had the benefit of featuring the Caped Crusader, played by Ben Affleck. 

It's also the second-highest opening of James Gunn's career, topped only by 2017's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ($146.5 million). 

It's a shame that tracking has become so unreliable, as it created lofty expectations of a $150 million - $200 million start. Then again, we were also led to believe that $90 million was a strong possibility, so Superman has massively overperformed in that respect. 

The trade explains why the backlash to Gunn's "immigrant" comments is unlikely to have made any difference. "The red county zones for this type of movie aren't underperforming, rather they’re churning out the average amount of cash for a PG-13 family adventure movie."

"At $120M+, this is the ceiling for a standalone Superman movie when he’s not fighting Batman in the desolate remains of Gotham," the report adds.

There's still a strong chance that Superman flies even higher, especially as Man of Steel held up well during its opening weekend. The reviews for the DC Studios reboot have been extremely positive, while word-of-mouth is also excellent based on its CinemaScore and Popcornmeter ratings.

"Superman is an indescribable joy," we said in our review"A beautiful, moving thrill, David Corenswet is the perfect Man of Steel in a movie packed full of ideas. Fortunately, under James Gunn’s expert direction, all of those work, creating a rousing experience that flies higher than DC has in a very long time."

Stay tuned for more on Superman's box office in the coming days. 

Superman, DC Studios' first feature film to hit the big screen, is set to soar into theaters worldwide this summer from Warner Bros. Pictures.

In his signature style, James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor and heart, delivering a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind.  

The movie stars David Corenswet in the dual role of Superman/Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.

Also appearing are Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, María Gabriela de Faría, Wendell Pierce, Alan Tudyk, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Neva Howell, and Milly Alcock.

Superman is now playing in theaters.

SUPERMAN Outgrosses All But One DCEU Movie In North America After Passing $600 Million Worldwide
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IAmAHoot
IAmAHoot - 7/13/2025, 4:29 AM
Man of Steel didn’t have the greatest word of mouth upon release either but this looks generally like a more fun and joyful film alongside the word of mouth. Not strictly surprising for it to top MoS; could have gone either way.
bobevanz
bobevanz - 7/13/2025, 9:40 AM
Pour one out for @WalletsClosed, wrong about the review scores, wrong about opening WW number, probably can't even boil water the right way. Too bad the other trolls are still moving goalposts hahaha
Arthorious
Arthorious - 7/13/2025, 10:02 AM
@bobevanz - well he’s consistent in his failings. Looking to see what the next goal post will be.
WalletsClosed
WalletsClosed - 7/13/2025, 12:25 PM
@bobevanz - You're obsessed
XKnight
XKnight - 7/13/2025, 12:51 PM
@IAmAHoot - Man of Steel’s $116 million in 2013 equates to $161 million in 2025.

So technically, Man of Steel still made a lot more money than Superman.
Forthas
Forthas - 7/13/2025, 4:30 AM
User Comment Image

If you read the fine print the article states...
"Back in the whip and buggy days of 2013, Warners didn’t combine Thursday into Friday, and they didn’t include the $12M the Zack Snyder movie made on Thursday into the 3-day opening weekend."

https://deadline.com/2025/07/box-office-superman-1236454805/
(The paragraph that begins "Superman‘s legs aren’t that different from Man of Steel‘s)

...and if we look at box office mojo
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl4034037249/

Man of Steel pulled in 128 million its opening weekend including Thursday
ClungeofSteel
ClungeofSteel - 7/13/2025, 5:20 AM
@Forthas - hey man, let the media spin it whichever way they want!!

😬😮‍💨
Forthas
Forthas - 7/13/2025, 5:32 AM
@JurassicClunge - I am not sure how you can spin this. Superman included its Tuesday through Sunday estimated totals. How can you just compare it to Man of Steel's Friday to Sunday only. An apples to apples comparison is what it is.

But to your point even if Superman made 130 million it is still disingenuous to spin it as a win when it clearly means they sold FAR less tickets for this Superman than they did for Man of Steel (a film the honor of which I will defend to no ends). We will see where Superman lands at the end of its run, but if it is any where near where Man of Steel landed I want to see them try to say it is not a disappointment and MOS was.
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