Following yesterday's glowing reviews for Superman, it was reported that the movie is eyeing a $100 million - $130 million opening in the U.S. and a $100 million start overseas. That's a global debut of $230 million or more.
While DC Studios is predicting a conservative $100 million start for the reboot, tracking firms and exhibitors' internal estimates are on the higher side, with a $115 million - $130 million looking likely. That sets the stage for Superman to break a record currently held by 2013's Man of Steel.
That opened to $116.6 million, which, at the time, was the highest debut ever for a Superman movie. Now, all signs point to Superman topping the Zack Snyder-helmed movie, meaning it will land the biggest debut for the Man of Tomorrow ever.
For comparison, Superman: The Movie opened to just shy of $7.5 million in 1978, with the sequel debuting with $14.1 million (these figures are unadjusted for inflation, but those were impressive starts at the time). Superman III had a $13.3 million opening despite being panned, while the awful Superman IV: Quest for Peace only made $5.6 million during its first weekend in theaters.
In terms of modern Superman movies, Superman Returns struggled to take off in 2006 with a $52.5 million three-day haul and $84.5 million over the long Fourth of July weekend.
As noted, Man of Steel holds the domestic record with $116.6 million, a figure Superman should be able to quite easily fly beyond. The DCU movie won't top 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as that had a huge $166 million start, but it wasn't a solo Superman adventue and obviously benefited from the Dark Knight's presence.
Back to this weekend, and according to Deadline, Superman has already earned an impressive $20 million in presales. That places it above Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and puts it in the same territory as movies like Suicide Squad, Captain Marvel, and The Batman, all of which were box office hits.
Things are looking good for Superman, with an 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which has seen it "Certified Fresh" by the review aggregator.
Superman arrives in theaters on July 11, 2025.