Love it or hate it, James Gunn’s Superman continues to fly high. After opening to US$217 million at the global box office, the superhero tentpole has retained its top spot for the second week running, with a worldwide haul surpassing US$400 million.
The David Corenswet-led pic raked in US$57.3 million from the domestic market, marking a less-than-expected 54 percent decline over 10 days — the same drop registered by 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine. Across the globe, it collected US$45.2 million, bringing its total tally to US$406 million, which puts it behind F1: The Movie‘s US$460 million.
It’s much-needed encouragement for DC Studios and its parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, as the current earnings for Superman have already surpassed the entire lifetime run of Marvel’s Thunderbolts* (US$383 million). That’s not to say one is better than the other, but the latest superhero retelling comes with high stakes and expectations as the launchpad to Chapter One of the rebooted cinematic universe. As of the time of writing, the film is also one step closer to overtaking Marvel’s other 2025 entry, Captain America: Brave New World (US$415 million).
The rest of the box office competition is being left in the dust, too. Sony’s I Know What You Did Last Summer came in third with US$24.6 million worldwide, while Paramount’s Smurfs opened in fourth place with US$36 million worldwide. In second place is Universal’s Jurassic World Rebirth, which now stands at US$647 million globally, and contributed to Scarlett Johansson’s rise to the top of the list of highest-grossing lead actors before inflation adjustment.
Moving into its third week, Superman is expected to face stiff competition from Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps. The comic book adventure hits theatres on 25 July and is projected to debut with US$100 million to US$110 million domestically. Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, the latter introduces Reed Richards aka Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us), Sue Storm aka Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby, The Crown), Johnny Storm aka Human Torch (Joseph Quinn, Stranger Things 4) and Ben Grimm aka The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear) as they face their most daunting challenge yet – new family and new beginnings.
As for Superman, Corenswet is joined by Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, House of Cards) and Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: First Class) in the lead cast as Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, respectively. It serves as the lead-up to two interconnected spin-offs scheduled for 2026, Supergirl and Clayface, alongside a Wonder Woman movie in the works.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Ting Wei
Kevin Low
