SUPERMAN: New Report Reveals How Much It Needs To Turn A Profit And What Failure Would Mean For DCU's Future

SUPERMAN: New Report Reveals How Much It Needs To Turn A Profit And What Failure Would Mean For DCU's Future

A new report from the trades reveals Superman's budget and how much the DC Studios movie will need to turn a profit and be considered a hit, but what becomes of the DCU if the reboot underperforms?

By JoshWilding - Jun 02, 2025 10:06 AM EST
Filed Under: Superman
Source: The Wrap

This July, Superman arrives in theaters, and its success—or potential lack thereof—will dictate the DCU's future. Whatever happens, Peacemaker season 2, Lanterns, and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow are on the way. However, the future beyond that is uncertain. 

According to a new report from The Wrap, Superman has a $225 million budget. The trade spoke to one talent agent who believes the movie will need to gross as much as $700 million worldwide if it hopes to be considered a success. 

"While release dates are important, I don’t think the challenge is 'Jurassic World: Rebirth' or any other film," they shared. "The challenge is almost entirely a question of if Superman resonates with today’s audience. Did they successfully update an Eisenhower-era character so the 2025 Gen Z audience can identify with him?"

"The simple brand recognition of Superman will probably take them to or close to $500 million worldwide, but anything above that will be because the audience identifies with the title character," the insider added. 

Another source believes $500 million would be enough for Superman to turn a small profit. Warner Bros. Discovery expects more, though, especially as David Zaslav is banking on DC, Harry Potter, and The Lord of the Rings to help turn around the studio's recent financial struggles. 

If Superman underperforms, it sounds like big changes could be made to DC Studios' plans. 2026 has already taken shape with the projects mentioned above, but 2027 is less certain following the apparent cancellation of Sgt. Rock due to supposed issues with the UK weather.

"'Supergirl' is a much safer bet than, say, 'Sgt. Rock,'" an unnamed source posits, "which despite a good package, is a property with zero awareness in the greater landscape. There are better superheroes ripe for adaptation in the DC library."

A DC insider, meanwhile, adds, "Outside of anything Batman-related, DC will most likely wait to react to how 'Superman' performs before deciding on which superhero from their library to tackle next. Greenlighting 'Supergirl' may seem risky, but it extends the new universe they are trying to establish and shows a commitment to the larger brand."

With The Batman Part II seemingly stuck in limbo and development on The Brave and the Bold moving at a glacial pace, the DCU relying on the Dark Knight to turn things around could be easier said than done. 

Still, there are already rumblings that James Gunn is planning a World's Finest movie, pairing Superman up with Batman in what would be a safe bet and potential guaranteed hit for DC Studios (even if it feels oddly similar to the way Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice followed Man of Steel in the DCEU).

It's hard to imagine WBD ditching Gunn and Peter Safran at the first sign of trouble, and they'd likely be allowed to right the ship with a 2027 slate that brings some bigger-name characters to theaters.

For now, though, outside of Superman and a few others, Gunn remains focused on producing movies and TV shows highlighting C-Listers like Amanda Waller, Booster Gold, Clayface, and Swamp Thing. He needs to expand the franchise beyond familiar characters, so taking some risks is necessary, given how much the brand was tarnished by the DCEU.

Those just need to be balanced with some hits, and the hope is that Superman will be exactly that come July 11. 

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Arthorious
Arthorious - 6/2/2025, 10:28 AM
All the money
UnderBelly
UnderBelly - 6/2/2025, 10:28 AM
"Another source believes $500 million would be enough for Superman to turn a small profit"

Yup, i think 500mill in this climate won't be terrible. A better RT score than MoS won't hurt it's chances either of them being able to continue with the DCU brand.
AllsGood
AllsGood - 6/2/2025, 10:47 AM
@UnderBelly - Another source believes $500 million is NOT Realistic with Superman has a $225 million budget.

Then Marketing and Advertising costs needs to be added.
MakeAmericaGrea
MakeAmericaGrea - 6/2/2025, 11:07 AM
@UnderBelly -

Superman's James Gunn would probably have to at bare minimum have to make closer to $600 million to turn a profit. $500 million isn't enough.
MakeAmericaGrea
MakeAmericaGrea - 6/2/2025, 11:14 AM
We can and will win this.

We will end the woke MCU and woke second DCCU.

We will boycott.

We will make these communist hackfrauds' stupid trashy woke anti entertainment slop products fail, again and again.

They will reboot the MCU and DCCU and make them less woke and more based, with fewer raceswaps, genderswaps, woke messaging, ugly clothes, and girlbosses.
AllsGood
AllsGood - 6/2/2025, 11:23 AM
@MakeAmericaGrea - All Movie Studios

User Comment Image
AgentofSH1ELD
AgentofSH1ELD - 6/2/2025, 11:24 AM
@UnderBelly - I made this argument last week. Unfortunately, for a film to be considered successful its needs to be over 500 mil now. And that really sucks. Im a Marvel nut-rider and its their fault.
AgentofSH1ELD
AgentofSH1ELD - 6/2/2025, 11:25 AM
@MakeAmericaGrea - ... girl bosses?
are you a child? bro. GTFO with that shit. for [frick]s sake. And get Maga out your name. You dont deserve a place with us.
MakeAmericaGrea
MakeAmericaGrea - 6/2/2025, 11:28 AM
@AllsGood -

Diversity was the strength of the Mayans, Aztecs, Lakota, Cherokee, Apache, Nakota, and South Africans.
MakeAmericaGrea
MakeAmericaGrea - 6/2/2025, 11:34 AM
@AgentofSH1ELD -

"Unfortunately, for a film to be considered successful its needs to be over 500 mil now."

That's why Sinners isn't successful.

Yeah, girlbosses, we all know what they are, they suck, and they have no place in Star Wars, Marvel, DC, Star Trek, and Doctor Who.

If you don't dislike girlbosses you need to change your political party.

Purge yourself or the Marxist mind virus, brother.

You are too good for their indoctrination.

Dear God and Jesus, please open SH1ELD's eyes, and let him not walk in the ways of the deceivers, but on your path.

Amen.
MakeAmericaGrea
MakeAmericaGrea - 6/2/2025, 11:39 AM
Oh man.

Now liberals want us calling people flows. As in flowing fluid water.

They want us saying things like:

"My brother is on flow's way. Flow's going to go to the store and get pizza and snacks. Then flow's going to get gas. Flow will get here at around 1. Is there anything you would like flow to get?"
UnderBelly
UnderBelly - 6/2/2025, 11:39 AM
@AgentofSH1ELD - I think as the first cinematic entry into the new DCU it's not bad. They need to build towards a climax. Phase one of the MCU is a good example of that. those first few entries were not huge at the box office, and that was less that 20 years ago. Same thing happened with Nolan's TDK trilogy. The first wasn't such a huge financial success, but the follow ups were.

I still think 500 will be a good start as long as the reviews are generally positive.
bobevanz
bobevanz - 6/2/2025, 11:41 AM
@MakeAmericaGrea - Sinners is a success though, you just hate black people. Be honest, everyone knows your true intentions. You belong on Rumble or Truth Social. Why you're still here truly [frick]ing baffles me
bobevanz
bobevanz - 6/2/2025, 11:42 AM
Let me clarify: the fact that you still haven't been banned makes me wonder why..
mountainman
mountainman - 6/2/2025, 11:44 AM
@AgentofSH1ELD - It just based on the huge budgets. If a movie has a $100 million budget, then $300 million would show profit.

The studios should have started operating leaner a few years ago when it was clear that Hollywood wouldn’t be getting the box office to goals of pre-COVID as often any more.
Rpendo
Rpendo - 6/2/2025, 11:46 AM
@MakeAmericaGrea - Inbred virgin fat boy has opinions all day every day…
DocSpock
DocSpock - 6/2/2025, 11:47 AM
@MakeAmericaGrea -

Flow. I have not heard of this.
Rpendo
Rpendo - 6/2/2025, 11:52 AM
@MakeAmericaGrea - Sinners needed about 230 million to be profitable.

It stands at 340 million , plus. VOD release this week guarantees tens more millions.

When all is said and done it will have made the studio 70-1120 million in profit this year.

Your absurd notion that it needs to break half a billion to be successful is asinine. Keep repeating it, though. Maybe you can speak it into reality. Or, maybe your idiotic delusion will never measure up against, you know, actual math.

Like, we get it, dude. You have no friends, your body is a joke, no girl will ever look at you with anything but scorn or pity, and you’re bitter about it. So instead of doing anything about it, like trying to improve yourself in any way, shape or form, you do what every little whiny malcontent bitch does these days and you come online to bitch and moan about whatever, so that you can get some sliver of attention that you will never get in real life.

I have to know what you look like, kid. I need to know if the picture of you I have in my mind is anything like the reality.

Rpendo
Rpendo - 6/2/2025, 11:53 AM
@Rpendo - not 1120 million…

120 million*
UncleHarm1
UncleHarm1 - 6/2/2025, 11:55 AM
@MakeAmericaGrea - Win what? An imaginary battle with rich people who don't know you exist? Good luck dummy.

Calling the richest Hollywood elite communists is moronic, look up what that means dummy.

You keep saying hack frauds referencing a youtube show you like, but the presenters on that show openly mock Trump left and right. Your heroes hate you dummy.

Nobody is rebooting the MCU. It's literally the highest grossing franchise of all time dummy.

Finally, you are an old man you told me that yourself. And you use words like woke and based? Raceswaps and genderswaps really mean that much to you? You are an embarrassment of ignorance and hubris, openly supporting the death of democracy and hoisting Hitler 2.0 all while making everyone around you constantly annoyed and cringing. And the worst part is, you have never said anything even remotely as entertaining as the other trolls on here. Energy vampire who sucks the fun out of a room just by entering. Dummy.
supermanrex
supermanrex - 6/2/2025, 12:11 PM
@bobevanz - they get off on the attention they get here.
Rpendo
Rpendo - 6/2/2025, 12:24 PM
@supermanrex - Any attention is good attention
Scarilian
Scarilian - 6/2/2025, 1:03 PM
@UnderBelly -
"i think 500mill in this climate won't be terrible."

No, it would be terrible. It needs to make a profit to justify moving forward with the franchise.

People need to really connect with this new DC universe under James Gunn, especially seeing as the next project is Supergirl. If you can't get the audience for Superman, then Supergirl is dead in the water.
AgentofSH1ELD
AgentofSH1ELD - 6/2/2025, 1:10 PM
@MakeAmericaGrea - you might be mentally ill. And are obviously on a troll path. Again, you need to change your name because you have no place in the movement.
AgentofSH1ELD
AgentofSH1ELD - 6/2/2025, 1:11 PM
@bobevanz - see this is the problem. people like that dont have the same mindset as actual republicans so please dont put him in a group like Truth Social. Actual Trump supporters are not like that [frick]ing idiot.
AgentofSH1ELD
AgentofSH1ELD - 6/2/2025, 1:13 PM
@UnderBelly - You make a good point but we are not talking about 2006 here. its 2025, theaters suck because COVID killed them and all studios have Marvel sickness.
DC is aiming high and we all know it. If that movie makes less than 500 mil it will be considered a bomb.
AgentofSH1ELD
AgentofSH1ELD - 6/2/2025, 1:14 PM
@mountainman - Yes it is based on huge budgets but also huge properties. Superman is one of those properties. There is a mindset that exists now that did not when Marvel shot off (2008). As I said above I call it the Marvel sickness.
TheDiverMan
TheDiverMan - 6/2/2025, 1:15 PM
@Rpendo I wouldn’t waste my energy with that troll. He has been turned in multiple times for violating the site’s code of conduct and nobody seems to care unfortunately. He is a loser that spends countless hours on this forum spreading his hate and disdain for comic fandom.
Rpendo
Rpendo - 6/2/2025, 1:26 PM
@TheDiverMan - Dude, right this moment, I am stuck at home while a new roof is being put on my house. My wife and kids are visiting relatives and I am here going totally insane from 7 straight hours of banging.

I am taking out my coiled rage on Twatwaffle Mc[foo foo]y, here.

AgentofSH1ELD
AgentofSH1ELD - 6/2/2025, 2:50 PM
@Conquistador - Dude its not my belief. Im saying in general, most studios consider 500 mil a bad haul now.
Its BS but its how its working out...
Scarilian
Scarilian - 6/2/2025, 3:13 PM
@Conquistador -
It needs to make a profit. $500m would'nt be a profit.

F4 will be a box office bomb, it's a disaster also.

Jurassic World 4 is redundant, but it's got a wider appeal so expecting it to perform the best of the three.
Elle79
Elle79 - 6/2/2025, 5:14 PM
@bobevanz - Could be because not everyone such a sensitive little baby like you. Grow up.
Rokhorn
Rokhorn - 6/3/2025, 8:49 AM
@UnderBelly - $500M would mean the movie would lose $62M. If the budget is 225M you have to multiply that by 2.5 in order to get your break even number. So, $225x2.5 (budget× theaters cut (uaually around 50% depending on the market)+marketing=breakeven) =$565.2M. The film loses money and the DCU is done. I think $700M is probably minimum acceptable to be successful.
Nonameforme
Nonameforme - 6/2/2025, 10:31 AM
Gunn already said it's not close to this way back so I'm gonna say it's fake news.
RockReigns
RockReigns - 6/2/2025, 10:33 AM
$700M for a $225M movie doesn’t make sense.

$565M would be the amount needed to break even.
UnderBelly
UnderBelly - 6/2/2025, 10:39 AM
@RockReigns - huh?

I thought the general rule is to double the films budget. As the true total is inclusive of marketing, which usually cost the same.

So around 450, 500 to be safe.

I'm not an expert on these things though so just wanting to know how you came that amount?
UnderBelly
UnderBelly - 6/2/2025, 10:41 AM
@UnderBelly - * double the cost as the marketing and theatre/cinema fees usually comes to about the same cost as the budget.
RockReigns
RockReigns - 6/2/2025, 10:42 AM
@UnderBelly - I always read that it’s usually 2.5x of the production budget; which makes it around 562.5; but I rounded it up to nearest 5.
UnderBelly
UnderBelly - 6/2/2025, 10:45 AM
@RockReigns - ok, fair enough.
JoshWilding
JoshWilding - 6/2/2025, 10:53 AM
@RockReigns @UnderBelly - That budget likely doesn't include marketing (usually $100+ million), and it's more of a perception thing based on those comments. $500+ million will be fine to break even/turn a small profit, but $700 million will mean it's considered a real "hit."
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