Superman has emerged as a true box office powerhouse, delivering a much-needed victory for Warner Bros.’ DC Studios. The studio, now co-led by James Gunn — who also directed the film — and producer Peter Safran, has scored big with the latest superhero installment.

The film was widely expected to maintain its dominance at the domestic box office during its second weekend, but early projections varied regarding how well it would hold. Thanks to positive audience reactions and favorable reviews, ‘Superman’ exceeded expectations, dropping just 54% to earn $57.2 million over the weekend. This brings its impressive 10-day domestic total to $235 million as of Sunday — a strong showing in the currently struggling superhero genre. The decline matches that of Marvel’s 2024 summer juggernaut ‘Deadpool & Wolverine,’ which became a billion-dollar success.

Internationally, ‘Superman’ continues to perform well despite the franchise’s historical challenges overseas due to its distinctly American character. The film brought in another $45.2 million internationally, raising its overseas total to $171.8 million and its worldwide gross to $406.8 million. This achievement marks a major win for DC and Warner Bros., propelling the studio ahead of Disney to claim the top spot in domestic market share for the year so far.

For the first time in years, DC is beginning to chip away at Marvel Studios’ dominance. In just two weekends, ‘Superman’ has already outgrossed the lifetime global earnings of Marvel’s ‘Thunderbolts,’ which capped at $383 million earlier this year. The film is also on track to surpass Marvel’s ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ within days.

Marvel is aiming for a comeback with ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps,’ set to release on July 25. With an expected domestic debut of $100—$110 million, the film will present direct competition for ‘Superman,’ which will soon lose premium large-format and IMAX screens to Marvel’s highly anticipated reboot.

‘Superman’ stars David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as the infamous Lex Luthor. The ensemble cast also includes Skyler Gisondo (Jimmy Olsen), Isabela Merced (Hawkgirl), Beck Bennett (Steve Lombard), Nathan Fillion (Guy Gardner), Anthony Carrigan (Metamorpho), and Edi Gathegi (Mister Terrific).

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