Superman just posted the third-best opening weekend of 2025.
According to Deadline, Superman rose above expectations to deliver a three-day opening weekend, including Tuesday Amazon screenings and Thursday previews, of $125 million. The movie’s worldwide opening stands at $220 million. The first DC Universe blockbuster is expected to drop -50% in its second weekend with around $62.5 million. Competition will be nonexistent until The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives on July 25.
Where Does Superman Rank on All-Time Box Office Openings?
Let’s look at where Superman ranks among James Gunn‘s other directorial efforts first. While the DCU movie couldn’t best Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2‘s $146.5 million opening, it is sitting comfortably in second place, above Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ($118M) and Guardians of the Galaxy ($94M). Superman‘s opening is a major leap ahead of the $26.2 million Gunn’s last DC movie, The Suicide Squad, made, although arguments could be made that theaters were still recovering from the pandemic.
Of course, we only care about how Superman stacks up against the character’s previous cinematic outings. Well, it’s already good news, as Superman managed to beat the opening weekends of all but Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which opened with a stellar $166 million back in 2016. At $125 million, Superman is above Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel ($116M), the theatrical Justice League ($93.8 million), and Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns ($52.5 million), as well as the Christopher Reeve-led Superman quadrilogy.
Looking beyond the Superman franchise, the DCU blockbuster clears the final 12 movies in the DC Extended Universe, with only the aforementioned Batman v Superman and 2016’s Suicide Squad ($133M) debuting with a higher box office. Superman also opened with roughly the same box office as Matt Reeves’ The Batman ($134 million).
What’s the Final Verdict?
Warner Bros. and DC Studios have already released statements calling Superman a win for the studio, so it seems that they are happy with the box office outcome. In an era where superhero fatigue has set in, leading to blockbusters from the once bulletproof Marvel Studios bombing, an opening above $100 million should be taken as a win. With a strong positive reception, Superman has managed to win back audiences who may have been turned off from DC since Justice League. All eyes are now on Supergirl and Clayface in 2026, which will offer moviegoers two radically different experiences, despite both being set in the DCU.
Do you think an $125 million opening is a promising start for Gunn’s Superman and the DCU as a whole?
