Superman has made history by becoming the first superhero film to surpass the $600 million mark at the 2025 global box office, marking a significant morale boost for James Gunn and Peter Safran at Warner Bros.-owned DC Studios. Gunn, who directed the highly-anticipated film, achieved this milestone early Friday morning after the movie finished Thursday with a remarkable $599.6 million in global ticket sales, which includes $343.6 million from domestic markets and $256 million from international audiences.
This weekend, F1: The Movie, produced by Apple Original Films in collaboration with Warner Bros., is also expected to cross the $600 million threshold at the worldwide box office. This unexpected success is particularly noteworthy given that racing films have historically faced challenges at the box office, while superhero movies have typically been seen as more reliable hits.
Despite ranking as the top-grossing comic book movie of the year so far, Superman has not escaped the phenomenon of superhero fatigue, which is making audiences more selective. The film boasts a substantial net budget of at least $225 million, excluding marketing costs, and represents Safran and Gunn’s first release as they work to revitalize the DC brand. This initiative comes at the request of Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, following a series of disappointing performances from the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), including titles like The Flash, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Blue Beetle, and Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
Gunn's Superman has received positive feedback from both critics and audiences, outperforming rival Marvel Studios, which has seen its three 2025 releases—The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Thunderbolts, and Captain America: Brave New World—struggle to gain traction. The Fantastic Four reboot, which opened just two weeks after Superman, has garnered $472.7 million globally but has faced significant declines, despite receiving similarly high audience and critic ratings.
Superman is the first DC film to reach the $600 million milestone since The Batman in 2022, which grossed $772.5 million globally, not adjusted for inflation. Notably, The Joker, directed by Todd Phillips, earned $1.078 billion worldwide in 2019, although it was not part of the DCEU. The last DCEU film to cross the $600 million mark was 2018’s Aquaman, which grossed $1.148 billion globally.
Superman achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the first superhero film to earn over $100 million in its North American opening since Deadpool & Wolverine debuted to $211 million in summer 2024, eventually grossing a staggering $1.338 billion worldwide. It was also only the third film of 2025 to launch with over $100 million, following A Minecraft Movie and Lilo & Stitch.
As of now, Superman ranks sixth among the year’s highest-grossing films globally, trailing behind titles like DreamWorks Animation’s live-action How to Train Your Dragon ($626.1 million), Universal’s Jurassic World Rebirth ($829.9 million), Warner Bros.’ A Minecraft Movie ($955.1 million), Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch ($1.03 billion), and the Chinese blockbuster Ne Zha II ($1.89 billion).
In terms of domestic earnings, Superman has outperformed the last two films featuring the iconic hero. In 2016, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice grossed $330.4 million in North America, while Man of Steel earned $219 million domestically in 2013. However, global figures present a different story due to challenges in the foreign box office, where superhero fatigue is prevalent. Dawn of Justice ultimately grossed $544 million internationally for a total of $874.4 million, while Man of Steel reached $668 million worldwide.
As it stands, the prospects of Gunn's Superman catching up to Man of Steel in terms of global earnings appear slim as the superhero landscape continues to evolve.
