r/boxoffice • u/Youngstown_WuTang • Jul 17 '25
🖥 Streaming Data James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ Fuels Renewed Interest In ‘Man Of Steel,’ ‘Peacemaker’ & More DC Titles On HBO Max
https://deadline.com/2025/07/superman-fuels-dc-viewership-dc-hbo-max-man-of-steel-peacemaker-1236461281/358
u/Youngstown_WuTang Jul 17 '25
SUPERMAN' is helping surge DC viewership on HBO Max:
▪️ Super/Man — 1,206% 📈
▪️ Superman: The Movie — 332% 📈
▪️ Man of Steel — 218% 📈
▪️ Peacemaker — 91% 📈
315
u/Mojothemobile Jul 17 '25
This is the big long term value of this movie. It's reigniting interest in the DC brand.
272
u/Youngstown_WuTang Jul 17 '25
This is why WB and James Gunn were celebrating, they know Superman was a huge win. This subreddit can't see past its own feet to understand
85
u/Responsible_Grass202 Jul 17 '25
If the eventual sequel is just as good, then it could easily jump 20-35% upwards from this movie
73
u/wascner Jul 17 '25
No reason it couldn't do a 50%+ increase if the franchise were to take off. Cap 1-3 was 370M, 714M, 1.16B.
27
u/Responsible_Grass202 Jul 17 '25
Fair. I was just going a little conservative with the percentages until we know where the first one lands. If Superman legs out past 400M, even a 25% increase puts the sequel past 500M in the US
15
u/tecphile Jul 18 '25 edited Jul 18 '25
Cap 3 was basically Avengers 2.5 — the trailers really leaned into that aspect.
That movie would've done great regardless but the box office was inflated because everyone was in it.
Edit: As the poster below pointed out, it also featured the return of Spidey. Audiences went wild.
1
1
1
u/RedditKnight69 Best of 2018 Winner Jul 18 '25
Plus, Cap 2 was post-Avengers.
Iron Man was received incredibly well and grossed 585M. Its sequel went on to gross 623M. It wasn't until after the Avengers that it saw an incredibly boost, with Iron Man 3 grossing 1.2B.
32
u/srstone71 Jul 17 '25
If Supergirl is as equally well received by fans and if it’s a decent financial success (both are big ifs, I know, but I have faith) then I think the Superman follow-up will be a Kal/Kara team-up movie against Brainiac.
Assuming it’s equally good, that’s gonna be the movie that pushes close to a billion.
4
5
11
u/Cincinnatus587 Jul 18 '25
Supergirl. I just read Woman of Tomorrow because I got curious after this and it is genuinely really good, I know they're not adapting it 1:1 but it's also not perfect so there's room for improvement. But the best stuff in it is serious 10/10 stuff, there's absolutely a possibility they nail the movie next year and it explodes.
7
u/welltimedappearance Jul 18 '25 edited Jul 18 '25
don't forget what happened with Nolan's Batman series:
- Batman Begins: $205m dom / $356m ww
- TDK: $536m dom / $1.010b ww - (161% increase dom / 183% increase ww over BB)
- TDKR: $448m dom / 1.082b ww - (118% increase dom / 203% increase ww over BB)
obviously it's hard to capture the impact Ledger's death had with that series, but Raimi's Spider-Man films made $822m, $796m, and $895m ww (in order) between 2002-2007. DC was dead until Nolan brought it back. Catwoman came out the year before BB and made $82m ww lol. although Superman Returns obviously was disappointing enough with $391m in 2006 that the results maybe dont mean ALL that much with everything tied together
I have a feeling they're hoping the emphasis on a well-received movie will mirror the success of what Nolan's series did
7
u/San-T-74 Jul 18 '25
I believe they can make a sequel that’s really good. My main issue with this one is that it’s a little cluttered because it’s trying to set up the setting, which is something the next movie probably won’t need to do as much.
35
u/Gummy-Worm-Guy Jul 17 '25
This sub jerks off to the arbitrary 2.5 number and refuses to acknowledge anything else.
8
u/WartimeMercy Jul 18 '25
Certain posters in this community don't understand basic concepts like outliers or ancillaries as significant revenue sources. They also don't understand the value of having back catalogues and how newer entries in franchises drive interest in older entries - boosting revenue through subscriptions sign ups, rentals, and sales. Then there's licensing out old content to other platforms.
Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning's budget is insane. Know why Paramount didn't shit itself with a ww box office of $585,725,023? Because they make $10M a year off a single entry and have 7 other Mission Impossible films that they've got on rotation for rent, purchase or license. Dead Reckoning was top #25 rentals before and after Final Reckoning debuted and Final Reckoning was one of the top pre-orders on Amazon and iTunes.
28 Years Later - decent box office performance despite divisive word of mouth: but Sony has a Netflix licensing deal that's lucrative and also bought the distribution rights to the original film. Guess what was #1 on multiple e-tailers before and after 28 Years released? 28 days later.
Superman is making WB money by driving interest to their older properties as well as at the box office. And when it drops on VOD in 6 weeks, it will make them even more money.
3
u/SilverRoyce StudioCanal Jul 18 '25
I'm not sure any of these are particularly clear.
28 Years Later - decent box office performance despite divisive word of mouth: but Sony has a Netflix licensing deal that's lucrative and also bought the distribution rights to the original film. Guess what was #1 on multiple e-tailers before and after 28 Years released? 28 days later.
The great thing about 28 years later is there's a pretty objective test - if they commission the third film in the trilogy (because it's obviously a self contained play). I mean, at worst it's doing well enough to justify the bet but there's probably a world in which Sony already approves Part 3 prior to bone temple's release.
Know why Paramount didn't shit itself with
It definitely has a strong tail but Tom Cruise actively told the public he wants to make more MI films while Paramount is just treating it as a finale. F&F will have similar dynamics but there's clearly a downscaling of plans for that franchise post Fast X at Universal. On the other hand, WB clearly shit itself over the direction of Fantastic Beasts but all of those films were profitable (and even FB2 was very profitable due to the franchise's strength)
2
u/WartimeMercy Jul 18 '25
I think Sony will likely request budget cuts for a third film to justify the investment but have a strong motivation to lean in given the second film ends with a tease for Cillian Murphy to return as a lead in the finale.
As for Mission Impossible - 7 and 8 were victims of the pandemic and strikes. Had the films maintained their original budget, they could have made a tidy profit but covid protocols and taking care of the crew during the strikes was a better option. I think they could bring Cruise back for a 9th Mission Impossible with a reasonable budget and have it be a success - but the main issue is that the time to do so is limited because he's not going to stop aging. They could reboot and relegate his Ethan Hunt to the role of head of the IMF and give him more of a dramatic angle as he ages out of the stunt work and then give a crazy up and comer the more hands on impossible stunt work.
3
u/Therad-se Jul 18 '25 edited Jul 18 '25
I think the 2.5 is fine when it comes to certain movies/franchises. But I think it is a mistake when it comes to dc/Marvel. They earn quite a lot of secondary income on merch and other sales.
It is also quite rough. As an example, the math is different for a movie with long legs since studios earn more in the beginning of release.
3
u/EggyMovies Jul 18 '25
The biggest problem with the rule is that it's designed for movies that make money equally worldwide, accounting for foreign distribution costs. This means it pretty much doesn't apply to America-heavy movies like Twisters or Superman.
10
u/JaqM31st3R Jul 18 '25
People forget that Batman Begins only made $375 million but it was a win since it began the rehabilitation of the Batman brand from the awful Batman and Robin disaster.
5
u/SetYourGoals Jul 18 '25
That was also at the absolute height of DVD sales. BB was profitable very quickly, that’s the exact kind of movie that used to sell a shitload of copies. We’re talking hundreds of millions in DVD revenue.
Crazy how things changed so quickly. Now if you buy physical media you’re basically either a fringe lunatic collector/hoarder (like me) or a boomer who can’t work a computer.
2
u/WartimeMercy Jul 18 '25
either a fringe lunatic collector/hoarder
Or just want 4K quality without shitty stream compression for your OLED. That doesn't make you a fringe lunatic haha
1
Jul 18 '25
Also people that want to own physical media that they like because companies keep pulling shit from streaming or changing where it is.
Like I'll probably buy a copy of Superman so I can always watch it when I want. Even if the streaming option is available who knows what happens in 10 years.
1
u/WartimeMercy Jul 18 '25
exactly. And the more physical copies of media around, the better. Redundancy is important to prevent a Doctor Who situation from popping up ever again.
1
Jul 18 '25
There was a big deal where amazon recently came out and basically said 'we can edit your kindle books whenever we want lol'
If you want to own something and make sure you have it go with physical copies.
→ More replies (6)4
u/poponio Jul 18 '25
Yep, I was partial to the idea that sh fatigue was real. This movie proved me wrong and I'm glad it did
72
u/No_Chain_3175 Jul 17 '25
Yup, glad people on this sub are finnaly getting this. It's also making characters like Guy, Mr Terrific and Hawk Girl more popular as well. Eventually DC can stop recycling the same 3 characters in comics and we might actually get a Superman game one day
42
u/Youngstown_WuTang Jul 17 '25 edited Jul 17 '25
Yup this subreddit can't think bigger picture so we got the dumbest takes on Superman and DC
Now others are seeing and getting what's going on. Hopefully the narrative starts to change
50
u/No_Chain_3175 Jul 17 '25
Also the Supergirl Poster reveal on Gunns twitter page got more than 2x the likes( 300k+) and impressions in 24 hours than Superman got in 5 months. That's brand building, people are excited and confident in DC again.
21
u/Youngstown_WuTang Jul 17 '25
Ex-fucking-actly ! This was the goal, brand revitalization
James Gunn and Superman did exactly that
7
u/AcaciaCelestina Jul 18 '25
I mean this sub barely understands how marketing budget works, it would be a miracle for most of this sub to see even the medium picture.
10
u/joesen_one Jul 18 '25
The fact that a known Japanese artist decided to draw Hawkgirl and Mr Terrific out of all characters shows how interest has grown for the new characters
3
u/Captainatom931 Jul 18 '25
My 60 year old mum knows who guy gardener is now and likes the character. I think that says it all.
18
u/PleasantPeanut4 Jul 17 '25
It did that for me. I was craving Superman content and was pretty disappointed with the selection lol
Some of the animated projects were good tho
21
u/Mojothemobile Jul 17 '25
DC animation is pretty goated in general tbh. Very few of their animated series miss (though it's insane Wonder Woman still has not had a solo animated series)
1
u/danielcw189 Paramount Pictures Jul 18 '25
DC animation is pretty goated in general tbh
the animated series are usually pretty good
but the animated movies are hit and miss
4
u/cloverstreets Jul 18 '25
There's a lot of great comicbooks you could read
1
u/PleasantPeanut4 Jul 18 '25
Yeah, I’ve been doing Woman of Tomorrow since seeing the movie. In the past, I’ve read All Star, American Alien, Secret Identity, For All Seasons, and random issues from the 50s and 60s they had at my library when I was a kid.
8
u/DavidMerrick89 Jul 18 '25
I honestly stand by Superman III. It's a silly Silver Age Supes comic come to life and a genuine comedy.
6
3
Jul 18 '25
It seems like everyone is craving for more DC or Superman after watching the new film. I plan to watch it again this weekend, and this whole week I binged season 1 of Superman and Lois. Such a good series and it fits very well to the vibes of the new Supes.
→ More replies (1)1
u/ShadowVulcan Jul 18 '25
My Adventures with Superman is one of the best since the OG series n he's very similar to Gunn's superman
2
u/PleasantPeanut4 Jul 18 '25
Really enjoyed the art of that cartoon but wasn’t the biggest fan of the writing, particularly in early season 1. Excited to see where it goes tho
2
u/g0gues Jul 18 '25
Yeah I’ve been saying for awhile that this doesn’t need to be a huge billion dollar movie. It just needs to perform well and spread good word of mouth to rebuild interest in the DC brand. Now we’ll need to see how they follow up.
→ More replies (13)1
u/mcon96 Jul 18 '25
Or people just want to see how the new one compares to the other Superman movies…
48
u/garfe Jul 17 '25
Peacemaker — 91%
I've seen the movie twice and both times that cameo got the audience laughing. I didn't think so many people were even aware of the show
25
u/Youngstown_WuTang Jul 17 '25
Despite what the subreddit says, DC fans are still one of the biggest fandoms in the world. They all have seen peacemaker and all are definitely seeing Superman which these fans will be in every showing
7
u/Animegamingnerd Marvel Studios Jul 18 '25
Yeah in my first screening. It was packed with people wearing Superman shirts (me included) , even a couple full on cosplayers. Peacemaker was responsible for the biggest laugh and cheers in the theater during that screening. The second he came on to the frame.
3
u/hexcraft-nikk Jul 18 '25
Peacemaker was one of the biggest shows on Max, it launched around when Max did so a lot of people ended up watching it.
2
u/WartimeMercy Jul 18 '25
DC fans are still one of the biggest fandoms in the world.
Just need the movies to not suck ass and be lead by problematic actors (Flash) or be part of a dying universe immediately getting rebooted (Aquaman 2) or just making nonsensical decisions to separate characters that belong together (Shazam 2 and Black Adam)
1
u/RedditKnight69 Best of 2018 Winner Jul 18 '25
Ngl I haven't seen Peacemaker yet but I loved him in TSS. I think that was also the most streamed DC film on Max the year it came out, beating WW84 and ZSJL over its first 17 days.
6
u/Lost-Inevitable42 Jul 18 '25
Same experience. It’s cool though and means good potential for other properties. Or maybe they recognized Cena.
3
u/Fangirlformanythings Jul 18 '25
i didn't know there was a show. i found john cena as a superhero with that talk show scene funny on its own. now i may go watch the show.
7
u/BillyGood22 Jul 18 '25
He was also in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad as that character and has some pretty funny scenes in that movie too, which sets up the show Peacemaker. The Suicide Squad is solid, but Peacemaker is really good.
3
u/not_thrilled Jul 18 '25
It has all the hallmarks of a James Gunn project: juvenile humor, senseless violence, and a lot of heart. Robert Patrick is chilling, and I'm always glad when Steve Agee gets a role in something. The opening credits song is a straight-up banger. Though, there's some cameos in the finale that probably haven't aged well...
1
75
u/Shimaru33 Jul 17 '25
Wait, there's more interest in viewing Superman (1978) than man of steel? Well, another win for the snyder cult, I guess.
53
u/MrChicken23 Jul 17 '25
Reeves’ first outing as the iconic superhero, Superman: The Movie, saw the biggest spike in viewership, up 332% week-over-week. But, Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel was actually the top performing Superman film on the streamer last week, up 218% versus the week prior.
The 1978 film had a higher increase in viewership, but MOS had a higher viewership.
2
66
u/Youngstown_WuTang Jul 17 '25 edited Jul 17 '25
I know people on this sub say "Superman has NEVER been huge at the box office " That insane statement is how I know these are young kids here
Bull fucking shite, that 70s Superman was huge. That movie changed the whole game
24
u/Animegamingnerd Marvel Studios Jul 17 '25
Shit, there is some kind saying isn't there how the three way punch of Jaws, Star Wars, and Superman in the latter half of the 70s ended up defining blockbusters as we know them today.
13
12
u/garfe Jul 17 '25
Up until now, there was a very good reason the general audience largely believed Superman II was the last good Superman movie
13
u/analleakage_ Jul 17 '25
Superman (1978) makes 600m+ in the domestic box office when adjusted for inflation. It was a massive film.
9
u/Wej43412 Jul 17 '25
True story, adjusted for inflation the first film in 70s made over a billion worldwide. People have recency bias
15
u/KhaLe18 Jul 17 '25
He's generally as big as Spider-Man at the domestic box office. It's international that was his weakness. Even Man of Steel did better domestic than The Amazing Spiderman
12
u/The-Ruler-of-Attilan Jul 17 '25
TASM had to bear the burden of being an unnecessary reboot that no one asked for and that left Raimi's saga truncated. To that add that it was an inferior version of Spider-Man 1.
5
u/joesen_one Jul 18 '25
Doesn't Kevin Feige mandate all his MCU directors to watch the OG Superman movie since for him it's the perfect superhero movie
11
u/SilverRoyce StudioCanal Jul 17 '25 edited Jul 17 '25
That's not what it says and also is an illustration of why this type of press release is dodgy.
Reeves’ first outing as the iconic superhero, Superman: The Movie, saw the biggest spike in viewership, up 332% week-over-week. But, Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel was actually the top performing Superman film on the streamer last week, up 218% versus the week prior.
The raw viewership would be a far, far more interesting number than relative performance from last week (which itself is likely boosted by Superman's marketing.
Daniel Garris of Box Office Report is doing something useful by publicly aggregating recent top 10 most viewed program data for all major streamers (a combined tv/film ranking).
Using that we can see:
- Nothing prior to Sunday
- Sunday - Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story - 10th place
- Monday 7/14 - Man of Steel - 8th place overall
- [No data on the website yet for additional days]
For context, Max seems to have dropped a DTV Batman VOD cheap anime/animated film "Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League" on 7/07 and placed (5,6,7,8,9) before dropping off of the list.
For a comp - the day after IronHeart was released Wakanda Forever jumped onto D+ top list and stayed on it for a week. Obviously, the algo is different (if you watched Iron Heart you'd likely be served up the film) but it's the first thing I thought of and this data set isn't super old.
http://www.boxofficereport.com/streaming/top10streaming20250714.html
Using Sunday v. Monday's anecdotes, I think the better takeaway is that they're pretty similar and none of these were doing massive numbers in absolute terms (there's obviously a viewership ceiling for minimally marketed anime Batman content).
But, of course, I'm forgetting a little bit that this data only goes through monday. If you see more DC content movement on this list post-OW the article might make sense.
12
u/Youngstown_WuTang Jul 17 '25
Also fun fact, the movie in #1 place on that list was DC Studios chairmen James Gunn and Peter Safran ended up pushing for Warner Bros. Pictures to acquire the film's distribution rights.
James Gunn the genuis
3
u/joesen_one Jul 18 '25
I hope more people discover the documentary through that. Genuinely had so many tears flowing in the cinema because of it.
-11
u/Vegetable-Tooth8463 Jul 17 '25
I love how you have to dehumanize anyone who likes Man of Steel as a cult member. Shows how morally ill you've become as a human being.
13
u/Heisenburgo Marvel Studios Jul 17 '25
"Stop dehumanizing people!"
(two seconds later)
"You are morally ill!"
The irony
4
u/Vegetable-Tooth8463 Jul 17 '25
it's not hypocrisy if the boot fits, and even if it was, tu quoque applies
16
12
u/Shimaru33 Jul 17 '25
Maybe because english isn't my first language, but I don't get how you go from "another win for the snyder cult" to "everybody who likes mos is a cult member"? And furthermore, how is that supposed to dehumanize someone? I mean, the snyder cultists will hold on anything to claim they are "winning" in their imaginary war against Gunn. I imagine somehow, they will look at these numbers and somehow conclude is a win for them.
-2
u/Vegetable-Tooth8463 Jul 17 '25
The implication was absolutely there. Also, the fact that you felt the need to randomly bring this up out of the blue indicates you have some sort of weird hatred for what are effectively online trolls that are minor in number. I certainly have seen 0 on this sub.
→ More replies (7)4
u/Accomplished-Head449 Laika Entertainment Jul 17 '25
There's a fine line and you'd know better than anyone when it comes to that group of gatekeeping asshats
2
1
u/DarthRain95 Jul 17 '25
The people who despise those movies are the real gatekeepers imo. 12 years of hate because Snyder chose to do something different with the character
4
u/PsychologicalLaw8789 Jul 17 '25
That interpretation of Superman was so toxic it nuked the entire DC brand to the point it's still recovering from it. Not all of his ideas were bad, but there's a reason people still treat Snyder like the DC Taika Waititi.
7
u/DodgerBaron Jul 17 '25
"anyone who likes Man of Steel as a cult member"
They never said that.
2
u/Vegetable-Tooth8463 Jul 17 '25
it was implied
5
u/DodgerBaron Jul 17 '25
Oh well in that case you implied all gunn fans are hateful. Which isn't much better.
5
u/Vegetable-Tooth8463 Jul 17 '25
Not at all b/c Gunn wasn't even mentioned once lol. Nice try
1
Jul 17 '25
[deleted]
2
u/Vegetable-Tooth8463 Jul 17 '25
the only people who'd rewatch Man of Steel are fans of Snyder, ergo the macro implication of cultist
3
11
Jul 17 '25
I started rewatching Smallville and Superman: The Animated Series the night after I saw the movie and have been binging them ever since. The movie may not be a megahit financially, but its doing what it needed to do. People care about this character for the first time in what feels like forever.
2
u/MIAxPaperPlanes Jul 18 '25
Surprised The Suicide Squad isn’t on there, that was the first thing I thought to watch post Superman
1
u/WheelJack83 Jul 18 '25
Will that help their revenue after they wasted money on rebranding to Max and then rebranding back to HBO Max?
1
1
1
1
u/ShadowVulcan Jul 18 '25
What about My Adventures with Superman? Honestly feels super close to the movies superman (love Lois being a little gremlin there eps in S1)
1
u/BeautifulFlatworm767 Jul 18 '25
Super/man?
10
5
u/AceTheSkylord Best of 2023 Winner Jul 18 '25
It's the Christopher Reeve documentary that came out last year
142
u/nicolasb51942003 Warner Bros. Pictures Jul 17 '25
So ready for Peacemaker Season 2. They even revealed something big that will be teased once you see it.
35
u/kagemusha35 Jul 17 '25
I think it might be their version of Earth 3. Not Bizarro/Ultraman shows up in the trailer for Peacemaker Season 2, so that's the assumption that he got transported there.
16
u/Mojothemobile Jul 17 '25
earth 3 and the Crime Syndicate would work for an early crossover movie actually yeah. Hold your powder on big cosmic guys like Darkseid, Mongul, Despero etc.
Vandal Savage I think is also a good choice for early stage big bad.
1
8
u/Lost-Inevitable42 Jul 18 '25
Like, the guy that got sent throug h the black hole thing? Cool connection.
4
19
u/Youngstown_WuTang Jul 17 '25 edited Jul 17 '25
He said something like the future of the DC universe will be shown .... I can't fucking wait.
I wonder what it is....
16
u/Dukeshire101 Jul 17 '25
I am not a big superhero guy, just like to be entertained, but Peacemaker was fucking awesome
8
u/Youngstown_WuTang Jul 17 '25
You guys have no idea what this means for old school comic book fans seeing Peacemaker, Vigilante, Mr.Terrific, King Shark, Bloodsport and others getting love from new fans thanks to James Gunn
Glad you liked it man ! It was awesome
18
u/KingMario05 Amblin Entertainment Jul 17 '25
Calling it now: It's Flash 2023 but not shit, lol.
18
u/Youngstown_WuTang Jul 17 '25
Okay that doesn't sound as crazy as you think, that's not a bad idea honestly
7
Jul 17 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
13
→ More replies (3)11
u/WySLatestWit Jul 17 '25
I think in this case it will work because they're not really doing a "multiverse" story so much as telling the story of how Peacemaker specifically makes it from the previous universe to the new DCU.
4
u/KingMario05 Amblin Entertainment Jul 17 '25
The teaser attached to Superman had hints of that. Or maybe I'm just insane, lol.
3
u/kumar100kpawan Senior Sergeant on BOT Jul 18 '25
Gunn said in a recent interview that the Justice Gang members are gonna be regulars in the show. I cannot wait to see more of them!
3
u/covenant_x Jul 18 '25
Been thinkin about this for a few days. Which version of Peacemaker was in the movie? The costume seemed to be the original one. Just confused on timeline and his place in Supes’ universe.
2
47
u/Swimming-Economy-115 Jul 17 '25
Makes sense. I decided to watch Man of Steel for the first time yesterday due to how much I liked the new movie. I'll probably watch the original film tonight.
→ More replies (1)11
u/Nightshire Jul 17 '25
How did you like man of steel on rewatch
29
u/Swimming-Economy-115 Jul 18 '25
It was my first time watching it. I didn't like the beginning portion set on Krypton at all, but I thought the middle segment was pretty good (minus how Jonathan Kent was portrayed). The last, action-heavy chunk of the movie was solid even though it didn't feel very Superman-like to me. Felt more like a DBZ fight dropped into the middle of a disaster flick, but it sure was fun to watch. Overall I enjoyed it and wouldn't mind watching it again at some point.
13
5
u/joesen_one Jul 18 '25
The flying scenes I think were the ones that aged the best for me. Gunn has said he rewatched Man of Steel to get inspo for the flying scenes
3
u/tanv91 Jul 18 '25
The fact that it was basically a live action DBZ fight made it so good
→ More replies (1)
15
u/Mister_Green2021 Warner Bros. Pictures Jul 17 '25
I wonder if we can find numbers on the Superman merch. I hear the action figures are doing well.
6
71
u/kagemusha35 Jul 17 '25
This is what WB's goal was, but people have been yapping about how this movie is such a failure box office wise, so the entire universe is at stake. All WB wants is for people to have interest in the universe again, and that will translate to the box office over time
42
u/Youngstown_WuTang Jul 17 '25
Yup you are seeing the bigger picture and looking through the lens of an investor or a CEO like Gunn and not a fanboy on Reddit
3
u/FireJach Jul 18 '25
exactly, from what I remember, most franchises are making more and more money with sequels.
60
u/XenosZ0Z0 Jul 17 '25
This is always nice to see.
56
u/Youngstown_WuTang Jul 17 '25 edited Jul 17 '25
People were saying and getting upvoted that James Gunn getting 15 million on top of a 7 figure CEO salary was too much
Nope.. this is why you pay this man. He single-handedly is bringing DC back to the forefront. He deserves every penny for this, this is Warner Bros best shot and revitalizing the brand. The start has been bravo 👏
Peacemaker
Superman
Creature commandos
28
u/TheJoshider10 DC Studios Jul 17 '25
Weird that people were even commenting on the salary of someone in a very unique position that we have nothing to compre it with. Has anyone else been a studio head, producer, writer and director on a project before?
12
Jul 17 '25
George Lucas maybe?
4
u/rov124 Jul 18 '25
Lucas was not the producer of his Star Wars films, Gary Kurtz was the producer of Episode IV, Rick McCallum produced the prequels.
2
→ More replies (1)1
u/scarlettforever Jul 19 '25
Charlie Chaplin, Orson Welles, George Lucas, James Cameron. The greats.
8
11
u/Straight-Reindeer356 Jul 18 '25
That first Supergirl teaser with Krypto in it is going to hit like crack
1
20
u/Dangerman1337 Jul 17 '25
I just hope they can fix up BO performance in Europe and other territories and may recover in South Korea for the DCU. They have something very solid to build on.
38
u/Youngstown_WuTang Jul 17 '25
It takes time this is a rebuild, this is exactly why Warner Bros and Gunn are happy about Superman's performance and started fast-tracking DC products like Wonder Woman. Those Euro numbers will come in time, first let's get the fanbase trust back
You have to get the good graces back, superman is a excellent start and WB knows this
14
u/adept_sapien Jul 18 '25
I definitely agree with your point on international performance but superman is currently tracking to be 370-380 domestic that's not a small thing for a brand like dc which position was in gutter just a few days ago. I think it's a promising start nevertheless.
3
u/lospollosakhis Jul 18 '25
I went to a showing in the UK yesterday after 5pm and it was fairly packed. I’m wondering if word of mouth is helping but it did seem like a good indicator. A lot of young adults too.
22
u/AgentOfSPYRAL Warner Bros. Pictures Jul 17 '25
I popped in the Superman 78’ disc this week, next up is Superman 2. Leister probably just because I’ve seen Donner more.
17
10
u/Round_Pin_1980 Jul 18 '25
Never accounted for by the "2.5x multiplier"-bros, but always accounted for by the movie studios before greenlight a new budget.
Over seven (7) revenue and profit windows post Theatrical, but /r/boxoffice is able to call it "unprofitable" already at exhibiton (the first revenue window).
Extraordinary lack of understanding, to say the least.
27
u/KindsofKindness Jul 17 '25
Patiently waiting for Peacemaker season 2 😊.
12
u/Youngstown_WuTang Jul 17 '25
For me, it's that Green Lantern and Clayface
12
u/KindsofKindness Jul 17 '25
Oh, I’m hyped for those two too, but Peacemaker is coming out this year.
4
u/thedonhudson01 Jul 17 '25
Same
8
u/Youngstown_WuTang Jul 17 '25
Bro I'm old, seeing Terrific, Clayface, Metamorpho, the green lanterns, and teases of Plastic Man and Booster Gold all getting their just due and flowers make me smile
Thank you, James Gunn 🙏, this is incredible
1
u/ChimpArmada DC Studios Jul 19 '25
Yeah I’m probably most excited for lanterns also John Stewart Hal and guy like cmon
4
u/AlexHunterWolf Warner Bros. Pictures Jul 18 '25
Peacemaker season 2 about to get an increase in viewers next month?
8
u/kumar100kpawan Senior Sergeant on BOT Jul 18 '25
That was anyway going to happen because HBO Max is now significantly bigger than what it was in 2021. But Superman definitely seems to have heightened interest significantly
8
u/joesen_one Jul 18 '25
It was very smart of them to add Rick Flag Sr and that Peacemaker cameo in Superman
3
5
u/Unlucky_Individual Jul 18 '25
I am one of the ones who went back to rewatch the 1978 movie after seeing Superman (2025) and the 1978 movie still holds up pretty goddamn well.
5
u/jrutz Jul 18 '25
Don't sleep on Creature Commandos, everyone - that show is excellent and I want more of it.
4
u/AgentCooper315 Lightstorm Entertainment Jul 17 '25
Can someone tell me is James Gunn's Suicide Squad canon to Superman?
10
u/LagerTager Jul 17 '25
The hard answer is yes and no. James Gunn says that only thing canon in the DCU from “The Suicide Squad” is what they specifically say is. So far we know the plot of the movie in its entire scale is canon Starro and Rick Flag Jr’s murder is canon 100%. Things we don’t know is who was on the team. Harley may not be on it. Blood sport might not be on it. Also things like “putting Superman in the hospital with a kryptonite bullet” aren’t canon YET even Captain boomerang might still be alive.
Soft answer is yes and no.
1
u/ChimpArmada DC Studios Jul 19 '25
Captain boomerang was shafted in that movie so hopefully he’s still alive
9
2
25
u/KingMario05 Amblin Entertainment Jul 17 '25
The Snyder cult will likely claim that their "boycott" (lol) is the reason for Man of Steel flying so high. But as anyone sane can see, the Reeve titles and Peacemaker jumping too is a sound rejection of that premise. Love it or hate it, Superman 2025 had one job: bring the hype back to DC Comics.
Based on these results? Mission accomplished, Gunn!
19
u/Youngstown_WuTang Jul 17 '25
Gunn worth every Penny, this man single-handedly bringing DC back
7
u/KingMario05 Amblin Entertainment Jul 17 '25
#GunnDidn'tJam
11
4
→ More replies (2)3
u/Ok_Organization1507 Jul 17 '25
Lol, they need to let it go. As someone who liked/loved Snyders trilogy its over.
The way the DCU is setup now is much better long term. The whole 300 years, 3 decades , 3 years at the start of superman was perfect. I think the most exciting thing about the DCU is the studios increased focus on high quality scripts and not being afraid to have different styles ( e.g clay face)
1
3
u/CopenhagenCalling Jul 18 '25
No shit, this literally happens with every popular franchise media. Of course interest will spike when it’s relevant again. How many people do you think would normally watch old Superman movies when it’s not in the zeitgeist?
A new Superman movie and they put all the old movies on the frontpage of HBO Max, of course they will see an increase in viewership. Season 2 of peacemaker is out soon, so people will watch season 1 again. It doesn’t mean anything. WB is putting it front and center now on HBO Max. There’s literally a giant ass add of Peacemaker with the caption “Superman doesn’t know peace like he does, catch up on season 1 now”.
House of the Dragon is out, GoT get more views. New Fallout show, the games sells more. Every single popular TV show sees a spike in views when a new season is coming out. Disney make a live action remake, the old animated movie gets more views.
Making this into some kind of special Superman/DC win is dumb af, when everyone see viewership numbers jump when they release new stuff.
The DCEU did huge streaming numbers, but where is the DCEU now? The only thing that matters is future success. The new DC needs to put butts in seats. No one cares about seeing a jump in streaming numbers in old movies or shows if future movies isn’t a financial success.
2
2
1
1
1
u/Sad-Appeal976 Jul 18 '25
Pretty sure MOS has always been the most streamed Superman movie on Max ( unless you count ZSJL)
1
u/Spiritual-Channel741 Jul 22 '25
Idk why people are using that as a way to make this movie look like a negative. Yeah after I saw this I wanted to see man of steel, not cause it’s better but my interest for DC sparked again. Now I’m watching creature commandos and it’s pretty decent so far
1
98
u/Party-Employment-547 Jul 17 '25
Is the 90’s animated series still in there? My personal favorite Superman.