James Gunn‘s Superman is headed for a possible record domestic box office debut of $115 million to $120 million after topping Friday’s chart with $56.5 million, including a hefty $22.5 million in previews.
The movie appears to be succeeding in rebooting DC Studios and its most iconic comic book franchise. Gunn is in a unique position, being both the film’s writer-director and the co-head of the Warner Bros.-owned DC, which he co-runs with Peter Safran. Overseas, Superman is launching to $100 million-plus from 78 markets after earning $40 million midweek from its first raft of international markets for an early global total of $96.5 million through Friday.
Superman will be the first superhero film to cross $100 million in its North American bow since Marvel Studios and Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool & Wolverine launched to $211 million in summer 2024 (“superhero fatigue” has become part of the Hollywood lexicon). And it’s the first DC title to cross $100 million in eight long years since Wonder Woman debuted to $103.3 million in 2017.
And if the $225 million tentpole comes in north of $116.6 million, it will beat Zack Snyder’s 2013 film Man of Steel ($116.7 million) to rank as the biggest domestic launch ever for a solo Superman pic, not adjusted for inflation.
Snyder’s mash-up Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice scored the biggest DC opening of all time when earning $166.6 million over Easter weekend in 2016. In 2006, Bryan Singer‘s Superman Returns unfurled midweek in North America for a six-day start of $84 million, including $52.5 million over the three-day weekend, which is considered the film’s official opening number.
Gunn’s movie is only the third Hollywood title of 2025 to launch north of $100 million after fellow Warners tentpole A Minecraft Movie, which opened to $162.8 million, and Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch, which sewed up $146 million in its debut. Crossing the century mark is no small feat for any movie in the post-pandemic era, and particularly for the troubled superhero genre.
Until now, Gunn was best known for being the mastermind behind Marvel’s blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. The second Guardians boasts his biggest domestic opening at $146.5 million. Superman isn’t likely to beat that record, but it could supplant 2013’s Guardians threequel ($118.2 million) to rank as his second best, not adjusted for inflation.
Heading into the weekend, Superman’s opening had been the subject of intense scrutiny. Ditto for the hype around the film; even President Donald Trump joined in on the action by posting a meme of himself on social media as the new Man of Steel.
While tracking services predicted Superman would gross north of $130 million, Warners and DC were more conservative in forecasting $100 million-plus. And even rival studios cautioned that the marketplace is over-saturated with male-skewing fare, between Universal’s Fourth of July blockbuster Jurassic World Rebirth and F1: The Movie, from Apple Original Films in partnership with Warners.
According to Friday exit polls, 68 percent of Superman ticket buyers were male, while nearly two-thirds of the audience were between the ages of 18 and 34. While fanboys are known for rushing out on opening weekend, older moviegoers are likely to bide their time and avoid the crowds. And gender-wise, the makeup of the audience could even out to some degree.
The pic should enjoy a long run thanks to strong word-of-mouth. Critics and audiences alike are embracing the film. The pic earned an A- CinemaScore from moviegoers, the same grade given to Man of Steel and ahead of Superman Returns‘ B+. The audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is a stellar 94 percent, while the critics’ score is a pleasing 82 percent. The event title is also playing to an ethnically diverse audience, another key advantage.
Superman stars David Corenswet in the titular role, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. Rounding out the cast are Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho and Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific.
The movie marks the first DC film entry for Gunn since he took over the reins of the superhero label with Safran in November 2022. Other upcoming DC Studios projects include HBO’s Green Lantern series, Lanterns, and a Supergirl movie due out in 2026.
Elsewhere at the box office, Jurassic World Rebirth looks to collect nearly $39 million in its sophomore outing for a North American war chest of $230.9 million through Sunday. The tentpole grossed a notably better-than-expected $147.8 million in its first five days, including $92 million for the weekend proper, after stomping into theaters Wednesday, July 2, to take advantage of the long holiday. Globally, it’s clearing the $400 million mark this weekend.
Joseph Kosinski’s F1: The Movie is parked safely in third place behind Superman and Jurassic World. The Formula One pic is on course to earn another $10 million this weekend as it prepares to jump the $140 million mark in North America. Through Friday, the Formula One movie’s global haul was $358.3 million.
Family-friendly pics How to Train Your Dragon and Elio will round out the top five.
Numbers will be updated Sunday morning.