Last December, it was reported that internal test screenings of Superman had taken place at Warner Bros. Discovery/DC Studios. At the time, we heard "[the] buzz is not good" and that there were concerns about how the reboot was taking shape.
That's supposedly why reshoots took place at the end of 2024, though James Gunn has said those are "pickup shots" consisting of, "No scenes. No reshoots." Superman's tone has also been compared to Captain America: The First Avenger and The Mummy.
Now, we have another update from Jeff Sneider. Apparently, the most recent cut of Superman received great feedback and performed far better than those initial early screenings.
The whole reason those take place is to figure out what isn't working early on and, with Gunn clearly taking the negative feedback on board, it appears the first DCU movie has benefited greatly. That bodes well for what we'll see in theaters this summer.
The filmmaker and studio executive has already made tweaks to the movie, changing the title from Superman: Legacy to just Superman.
"I thought maybe the title had a looking back feeling about it," he explained last year. "And this isn’t about looking back. This is about looking forward. So although when you see the movie you’ll understand where 'Legacy' comes from."
"It is about Clark and his relationship to his Kryptonian parents and his relationship to his human parents and whose legacy is he really?" Gunn continued. "And so it’s about that. But I think as a title it felt too 'looking back.'"
Plenty of hit movies have had early negative buzz following test screenings. Remember, the reason those happen is to figure out the issues and fix them before we all sit down in theaters. In the end, some movies like that are hits (Barbie, for example) and others are more akin to Captain America: Brave New World.
Stay tuned for updates on Superman as we have them.
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 arrives in theaters on July 11, 2025.