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‘Superman' Soars To $407 Million ‘Jurassic World' Devours $648 Million

‘Superman' Soars To $407 Million ‘Jurassic World' Devours $648 Million

Forbes5 days ago
Superman soared to $407 million worldwide and Jurassic World: Rebirth devoured $648 million, in a weekend that saw plenty of underperformance and outright face-planting by a few new releases and holdovers (notably Smurfs, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Elio, and M3GAN 2.0), but most of the rest either put up okay numbers or at least enjoyed strong holds (F1, How to Train Your Dragon).
David Corenswet stars in "Superman."
Superman By The Numbers
With more than $45 million overseas and $57 million stateside, Superman finished once again ahead of most estimates heading into the weekend. My own mid-week predictions ahead of Superman's second weekend were 'around $57 million domestic weekend and about $42 million international, totaling roughly $410-415 million through close of business Sunday.'
Although the final total was slightly lower at $407 million, due to lower weekday totals than I anticipated (notably on Wednesday and particularly Thursday), it beat lower-end estimates and is enough to put $500+ million squarely in Superman's sights now.
Impressively, despite otherwise lower international turnout than hoped for, Superman's word-of-mouth superpower helped it to a terrific hold almost everywhere except Asia-Pacific, specifically China where the Man of Steel is facing a worst-case flop and will finish with less than $10 million total.
It's not an understatement to say the doomsday outcome in China, and to some extent South Korea where Superman will be lucky if it can limp to a $6 million final cume, has made a big difference in whether Superman finished at an acceptable $500-550 million and signal audiences are willing to give DC another chance, or was able to top $600 million and send an even louder message that audiences are not only willing but eager to show up for more.
Superman Sets The Stage
It looks like 'willing' is going to have to be good enough (and make no mistake, it is), as I think $600 million is out of reach for Superman at this point.
My own math, admittedly based on only two weekends of data, puts Superman right at $548 million, so call it $545-550 million range. High-end looks like $570 million, plus or minus a couple of million, which requires continued unexpectedly great holds internationally and at least average or better holds in North America for the rest of its run. Low-end is roughly $525 million.
So overall, $500 million has looked certain for Superman almost right out the gate, but this weekend clinched it, as well as confirming $600 million or higher was no longer in the cards. That's disappointing and certainly lower than anyone involved hoped for, no doubt, but it's the sort of disappointment that comes from winning the bronze medal instead of the silver, when you knew the gold was already claimed anyway.
It's a nice problem to have for once, if you're WBD and used to problems that were sinking your superhero slate instead of merely a lesser variation of success than you held out hope for. Superman is a going to do blockbuster box office (even if at the entry-level tier for using the term 'blockbuster') and is widely liked or loved, and has convinced audiences to show up again for DC movies that aren't just solo Batman projects.
Most importantly, I believe as it relates to the context of future potential, this looks a lot like what happened with Batman Begins, which is a nice comparison for Superman writer-director and DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn both from an artistic perspective but also from a financial perspective. We all know what came next for director Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, and I discussed it all in more detail in my article about Batman Begins' 20th anniversary, so be sure to check that out as well.
Gunn and his co-CEO Peter Safran understand how the original Richard Donner Superman movies planned a multi-film investment for payoff, Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings put the approach to famously successful use as well, and most directly relevantly Kevin Feige's entire MCU was built on the premise that the Phase One
Superman now faces Marvel Studios' MCU summer tentpole Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is on course for a $125 million opening weekend domestically and even bigger internationally. There's room in the marketplace for many films to succeed together, and I do think Superman will continue to enjoy decent audiences, but it's also true that Jurassic World: Rebirth's sustained holds and the global power of Marvel's brand make it hard to imagine an overperformance for the DCU hero next weekend.
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There's A New Highest-Grossing Live-Action Sports Movie of All-Time
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There's A New Highest-Grossing Live-Action Sports Movie of All-Time

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‘Fantastic Four: First Steps' Review — Nothing Fantastic About This Dull MCU Snoozefest
‘Fantastic Four: First Steps' Review — Nothing Fantastic About This Dull MCU Snoozefest

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time5 hours ago

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'Supergirl': Everything you need to know about the DCU's upcoming movie
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'Supergirl': Everything you need to know about the DCU's upcoming movie

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The revamped DC Universe (DCU) is off to a soaring start, with James Gunn's "Superman" surpassing $400 million at the box office. It also folded an important new hero into the mix, 'House of the Dragon' and 'Sirens' star Milly Alcock as Supergirl, who is set to get her own standalone movie next year. And the origin story for the Man of Steel's hot-headed cousin looks to be just as chaotic as her cameo. This reboot promises to introduce a bolder, edgier tone to the new DC Universe—so here's everything you need to know about "Supergirl." When is 'Supergirl's' release date? "Supergirl" is scheduled to launch in theaters worldwide on June 26, 2025. That means Supergirl will officially soar into the DCU nearly a year after James Gunn's "Superman" hit theaters. While he's not directing the film, Gunn confirmed that principal photography for the project wrapped in May, so post-production should be in full swing by this point. So while delays aren't impossible, there's every reason to believe Supergirl's first standalone venture in the DCU will hit its scheduled release date. What will 'Supergirl' be about? Potential spoilers for "Supergirl" below. The "Supergirl" movie is based 2021's 'Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow,' an eight-issue comic book miniseries written by Tom King and illustrated by Bilquis Evely. Initially, the movie retained the comic's "Woman of Tomorrow" subtitle before Gunn confirmed in June it was shortened to simply "Supergirl." This epic, space-faring adventure leans more toward the cosmic vibe of Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy" than the character-driven storytelling we saw in "Superman." That tonal difference should help set it apart from the Man of Steel's first outing in the revamped DCU. The movie doesn't have an official synopsis yet, but in the comics, the story centers on a jaded Kara Zor-El (aka Supergirl) who finds herself at a crossroads. Struggling with a sense of purposelessness, she feels adrift now that her younger cousin, Kal-El (Superman), can fight his own battles and no longer needs her protection. Just as she's on the verge of walking away from it all, a young alien warrior named Ruthye Marye Knoll pulls her into a revenge quest. As she sets out to track down Krem, who killed Ruthye's father and destroyed her home, it soon becomes a race to save Krypto's life after he's critically injured in a fight. "We will see the difference between Superman, who was sent to Earth and raised by loving parents from the time he was an infant, versus Supergirl, raised on a rock, a chip off of Krypton, and who watched everyone around her die and be killed in terrible ways for the first 14 years of her life and then come to Earth," Gunn said in a 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "She is much more hardcore and not the Supergirl we're used to." Who is in the 'Supergirl' cast? So far, only a few actors have been confirmed for "Supergirl." As we said before, Milly Alcock is starring as the titular superhero Kara Zor-El. The movie will feature "3 Body Problem" star Eve Ridley as Ruthye, Matthias Schoenaerts as the villainous Krem of the Yellow Hills, and Jason Momoa in a small role as DC anti-hero Lobo. Lobo, who doesn't appear in the "Woman of Tomorrow" comic, possesses superstrength and rapid healing abilities in the same vein as Wolverine and roams the galaxy as a ruthless bounty hunter with deadly marksmanship. David Krumholtz and Emily Beecham are also on board as Kara's parents, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed in January. "Supergirl" will be directed by Craig Gillespie with a screenplay by Ana Nogueira of "The Vampire Diaries" and "Hamilton" fame. More from Tom's Guide James Gunn reveals the DC Universe's shockingly straightforward timeline 'Superman' shocked me by being my favorite movie in the whole franchise — and now I need more How to watch DC movies in order Solve the daily Crossword

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