Superman

Plot

Superman stops the nation of Boravia from invading the neighboring country of Jarhanpur and warns Boravian president Vasil Ghurkos to leave Jarhanpur alone. In Metropolis, Superman is defeated for the first time by a metahuman called the "Hammer of Boravia" and flees to his Fortress of Solitude in Antarctica with the help of the superpowered dog Krypto. They are followed by Angela Spica / The Engineer, an ally of tech billionaire Lex Luthor. Superman's robots use concentrated solar radiation to heal him and comfort Superman with a message from his birth parents, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van, who sent him to Earth to save him from the destruction of their planet Krypton. The message was damaged during the journey, so only the first half can be played. Superman returns to Metropolis and is again beaten by the Hammer, who is secretly Luthor's metahuman Ultraman.

Superman agrees to be interviewed by Lois Lane, his girlfriend and reporter colleague at the Daily Planet, leading to an argument when Lois presses him on the legal and ethical implications of his actions in Boravia. Luthor unleashes a kaiju on Metropolis as a distraction while he infiltrates the Fortress with Ultraman and the Engineer. They overpower the robots, capture Krypto, and discover the Kryptonian message; the Engineer restores the damaged portion. Superman rescues civilians while fighting the kaiju with the "Justice Gang", a team composed of heroes Green Lantern, Mister Terrific, and Hawkgirl. Despite Superman wanting to take the creature alive, Mister Terrific kills it. Luthor broadcasts the Kryptonian message and Superman is shocked to hear the second half, in which his parents urge him to conquer Earth and take many wives to restore the Kryptonian race.

Public opinion turns against Superman, especially when he angrily confronts Luthor, looking for Krypto. Lois reassures Superman that she believes he is good, and he confesses his love for her before surrendering himself to the U.S. government. They hand him over to Luthor for detainment and questioning inside an artificial pocket universe where Luthor secretly holds his enemies, including Krypto. Superman is imprisoned with the metahuman Metamorpho. Luthor uses Metamorpho's infant son Joey as leverage to force him to transmute one of his hands into Kryptonite, rendering Superman powerless. During questioning, Luthor murders one of Superman's supporters, Malik Ali. A horrified Metamorpho agrees to help Superman escape, and they free Joey and Krypto. Lois convinces Mister Terrific to help find Superman and they enter the pocket universe, rescuing the others. Lois takes Superman to recuperate with his adoptive human parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent. Jonathan tells the demoralized Superman that his choices and actions determine who he is, not the message from his birth parents.

Cast

David Corenswet as Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman:A survivor from the destroyed planet Krypton who lives on Earth as a superhero. He maintains a separate identity at his day job, working as a journalist for the Daily Planet in Metropolis. Director James Gunn said Corenswet's Superman is around 25 years old, making him more established than Tom Welling's version from the CW series Smallville (2001–2011) but younger than Henry Cavill's version in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Producer Peter Safran described the film's take on the character for the DC Universe (DCU) as "the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way" and "kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old-fashioned". Gunn said Clark is becoming successful as both a journalist and a superhero in the film, but new elements in his life leave him unbalanced. These include being "madly in love" with his colleague Lois Lane and making friends with other superheroes who think he is naive. The film illustrates how these elements influence Clark's values and choices, which are flawed and lead him on a personal journey. Corenswet differentiated Clark's roles in his interactions with his parents, his job at the Daily Planet, and as Superman. He described Superman as a "public facing character" who wants to present himself as calm yet authoritative. Corenswet drew inspiration for Clark from the comic book All-Star Superman (2005–2008) by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely and the posture of Christopher Reeve's portrayal from the 1978–87 Superman film series. He was also inspired for Clark's voice and demeanor by his brother-in-law, whom he described as the "quietest, most wonderful man" despite his tall 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 metres) height and weighing 270 pounds, and described Clark as a "big presence" who is "desperately trying to be as small as possible and as quiet as possible". Gunn consulted DC Comics writer Tom King in relation to other characters' "suspension of disbelief" regarding Clark's dual identity, which was attributed to the use of hypnotic glasses to subtly distort his appearance. Gunn included this in the film, noting that it had "kind of been forgotten" from the comic book canon. Corenswet also portrays Ultraman, an armored clone of Superman created by Lex Luthor who masquerades as the "Hammer of Boravia" and is controlled via drones and voice prompts. Oliver Diego Silva portrays Clark at age two.

Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane:A reporter for the Daily Planet who is a colleague of Clark, and "isn't so sure about him" and needs to be convinced about being in a relationship with him. Brosnahan described Lois as "fiercely intelligent" and feisty. She consulted with several journalists to help her portray Lois as a modern reporter.

Production

Background

In 2012, Warner Bros. Pictures was planning for the film Man of Steel (2013), based on the DC Comics character Superman, to start a shared universe, which became known as the "DC Extended Universe" (DCEU). They announced a full slate of DC films in October 2014, prioritizing Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) as the second DCEU film after Man of Steel failed to meet the studio's financial expectations. Despite this, they said an undated sequel to Man of Steel was in development with Henry Cavill set to reprise his role as Clark Kent / Superman. Man of Steel director Zack Snyder said they had been considering the imprisoned Kryptonians from the first film and the character Brainiac as antagonists for the sequel before work began on Batman v Superman. A Man of Steel sequel was in active development as a top priority for the studio in August 2016, which Cavill's manager Dany Garcia confirmed the following month. Amy Adams, who portrayed Lois Lane in Man of Steel, said in November that the studio was working on the screenplay. Matthew Vaughn was Warner Bros.'s top choice to direct the film and had preliminary conversations about it by March 2017. Vaughn and comic book writer Mark Millar previously pitched a new Superman trilogy before the development of Man of Steel, in which the destruction of the planet Krypton would not occur until after Superman had already grown up on the planet. After the troubled production of the DCEU film Justice League (2017), Warner Bros. reevaluated its approach to DC projects. By the end of 2017, a Man of Steel sequel was not coming "anytime soon, if at all". Justice League producer Charles Roven said story ideas had been discussed but there was no script.

Before the release of Mission: Impossible – Fallout in July 2018, director Christopher McQuarrie and co-star Cavill pitched their take on a new Superman film, partially inspired by the animated film Up (2009), but Warner Bros. did not pursue the idea. Later in 2018, the studio asked James Gunn to write and direct a Superman film, but he was uncertain if he wanted to take on the character. He did not have a clear vision, especially since Superman is a well-known character unlike the Guardians of the Galaxy whom he adapted for Marvel Studios in the film Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Gunn chose to make The Suicide Squad (2021) instead, calling it "the easier path". In September, negotiations for Cavill to reprise his role for a cameo appearance in Shazam! (2019) ended due to contract issues, as well as a scheduling conflict with Cavill's Mission: Impossible commitments. Cavill was reported to be parting ways with the studio, with no plans for him to reprise his role in future projects, but Cavill said in November 2019 that he had not given up on the character and still wanted to do the role justice. At that time, Warner Bros. was unsure which direction to take the character and was talking to "high-profile talent" about the property, including J. J. Abrams—whose company Bad Robot signed an overall deal with Warner Bros.'s parent company WarnerMedia—and Michael B. Jordan, who pitched himself as a Black version of the character. By May 2020, Warner Bros. was no longer developing a Man of Steel sequel, but Cavill was in talks to appear in a different DC film. In February 2021, Ta-Nehisi Coates was revealed to be writing a new Superman film that Abrams was producing. The film was expected to feature a Black actor portraying Superman, with the potential for Jordan to take on the role.

Development

In April 2022, Discovery, Inc. and WarnerMedia merged to become Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), led by president and CEO David Zaslav. The new company was expected to restructure DC Entertainment and Zaslav began searching for an equivalent to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige to lead the new subsidiary. Zaslav and WBD felt DC lacked a "coherent creative and brand strategy" and were underusing Superman. Over the years, Gunn considered how he would approach Superman if he were ever given another opportunity, and around late August 2022 he was hired to work on a Superman film that was not a sequel to Man of Steel and would be standalone from the DCEU. Zaslav met with Gunn while he was writing the script.

Cavill made a cameo appearance in the post-credits scene of the DCEU film Black Adam, released in October 2022, and Warner Bros. was reportedly pursuing a Cavill-led Man of Steel sequel once again. Roven was producing and the studio was searching for writers. They wanted McQuarrie to direct, but he was unlikely to be available due to his commitments to the Mission: Impossible franchise. Coates's film was still in development. Cavill's role in Black Adam was approved by Warner Bros. film chiefs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy when they were approached directly by Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson, who began promoting the idea of co-starring with Cavill in a Black Adam vs. Superman film. Cavill signed a one-off deal for Black Adam and only received a verbal agreement that he would continue playing the character in the DCEU. Cavill publicly announced that he would return as Superman for future projects, and said his Black Adam cameo teased their plans for the character. He added that Superman would be "enormously joyful" moving forward. Steven Knight wrote a script treatment for the sequel around that time, which reportedly included Brainiac as the antagonist, but Warner Bros. executives were not thrilled with his take. Michael Bay was eyed to potentially direct the film.

Gunn and The Suicide Squad producer Peter Safran were announced as the co-chairs and co-CEOs of the newly formed DC Studios at the end of October 2022. A week after starting their new roles, the pair had begun developing an eight-to-ten-year plan for a new DC Universe (DCU) that would be a "soft reboot" of the DCEU. Andy Muschietti, the director of the DCEU film The Flash (2023), expressed interest in directing a Superman project with a similar tone to director Richard Donner's film Superman (1978). In early November, Cavill expressed interest in a future project that explored Superman's "capacity to give and to love" the people of Earth and to inspire others, and said he was looking forward to meeting with Gunn to discuss future opportunities. Work on the Man of Steel sequel stalled later that month while Gunn and Safran were developing their plans, at which point Gunn was publicly revealed to be writing a new DC film. In December, Gunn said Superman was one of the top priorities for DC Studios, before publicly announcing that he was writing a new Superman film. The film was set to focus on a younger version of the character and would therefore not star Cavill. There was potential for Gunn to direct the film as well. It would not retell the origin of Superman, and would focus on him as a young reporter interacting with key characters such as Lois Lane. Gunn and Safran met with Cavill to explain their decision and discuss potentially working with him for a different role in the future.

Pre-production

Production design, costume design, and casting began in April 2023. Production designer Beth Mickle and costume designer Judianna Makovsky returned from The Suicide Squad and Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). Filming was set to begin in January 2024. Gunn said the character Jimmy Olsen would appear. He did not intend for the film to be a comedy and intended for it to differ from previous Superman films while respecting what came before. Gunn completed the first draft of the script at the end of April. Production was not expected to be impacted by the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike when it began in early May.

Gunn was looking for an actor to play Superman who possessed the character's humanity, kindness, and compassion, and was "somebody who you want to give a hug". Audition tapes for the main roles of Superman, Lois Lane, and Lex Luthor were submitted by early May. Gunn began watching them later that month, while he was storyboarding the film. At this point, Gunn watched the film Pearl (2022) and David Corenswet's performance in it stood out to him. Corenswet had previously expressed his desire to portray Superman and his audition was one of the first Gunn saw. Corenswet became a top contender for Superman and was set to do a screen test by early June. Jacob Elordi, Tom Brittney, and Andrew Richardson were also in consideration, though Elordi declined to read for the role. Patrick Schwarzenegger, the Arrowverse series Supergirl (2015–2021) guest star Pierson Fodé, and Jack Quaid—the voice of Superman in the animated series My Adventures with Superman (2023–present)—all submitted self-tapes for Superman.

Emma Mackey, Rachel Brosnahan, Samara Weaving, and Phoebe Dynevor tested for Lane; Dynevor was one of the final contenders. Brosnahan made an audition tape with her husband Jason Ralph, who read Superman's lines. Nicholas Hoult, the runner-up to play Bruce Wayne / Batman in the standalone DC film The Batman (2022), was eyed for Luthor but chose to pursue the role of Superman instead, because he felt while he could play Luthor well, he insisted himself to focus on auditioning for Superman. Gunn considered A-list actors he had already worked with for Luthor, and briefly discussed the role with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 star Bradley Cooper while promoting it around that time. Other superheroes were expected to be established in the film's setting, and testing took place for Black actors to play Michael Holt / Mister Terrific, using the label "Apex", a reference to a comic version of Luthor called Apex Luthor.

In-person screen tests took place at the Warner Bros. Studios lot in Burbank, California, with Gunn and Safran in mid-June 2023. The actors tested in makeup and costume as Kent and Lane in the following pairs: Hoult and Brosnahan, Brittney and Dynevor, and Corenswet and Mackey. The Kent contenders then tested in costume as Superman against Mackey. One of Cavill's original DCEU Superman suits, which was in poor condition, was used for the tests. Gunn said Brittney "messed it up" and then it was "torn to shreds" by Corenswet, who was too tall. Gunn edited the tests together to be played for a deciding committee that included Zaslav, and the casting of Corenswet as Superman and Brosnahan as Lane was announced on June 27. Gunn personally contacted the actors to inform them of their castings, and he offered the role of Superman to Corenswet while he was filming Twisters (2024) on the condition that he treat everyone involved in the film with kindness and respect, citing his experiences with Chris Pratt (Peter Quill / Star-Lord in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) and John Cena (Christopher Smith / Peacemaker in the DCEU) doing the same.

Filming

Principal photography began on February 29, 2024, which is Superman's birthday in the comic books. Filming took place in the Adventdalen valley in Svalbard, Norway, for one week to shoot scenes featuring the Fortress of Solitude. Gunn chose Svalbard for its natural beauty, landscapes, and similarities to Antarctica, where the Fortress is located. Filming occurred under the working title Genesis. Henry Braham returned as cinematographer from the later two Guardians of the Galaxy films, The Suicide Squad, and The Flash. The entire film was shot using IMAX certified Red Digital Cinema cameras. Filming was delayed from an initial January 2024 start by the SAG-AFTRA strike, and was expected to last around four months. Effects studio Legacy Effects worked on the film's practical effects, contributing character designs, prosthetic makeup, specialty suits, and animatronics.

Wendell Pierce was cast as Perry White at the start of March. Filming at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, had begun by March 8, while filming in Cleveland and Cincinnati was set to take 37 days between April 1 and August 23. Filming was also expected to take place in Macon, Georgia. In April, Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell were cast as Jonathan and Martha Kent, while Beck Bennett, Mikaela Hoover, and newcomer Christopher McDonald were cast as Daily Planet employees Steve Lombard, Cat Grant, and Ron Troupe in June. Hoover previously appeared in several of Gunn's films. Corenswet and Brosnahan filmed a 12-minute interview scene together, which Gunn described as ten percent of the film shot in two days, and highlighted their chemistry as "palpable". The 1940 film His Girl Friday was a major reference for depicting their relationship as "equal match[es]" for each other with a "longing romance" and witty comedy inspired by the works of Preston Sturges. Characters from the first season of the animated DCU series Creature Commandos (2024–25) were expected to appear in the film, and Gunn and Safran intended for the same actors to portray characters across animation and live-action in the DCU; set photos revealed that Frank Grillo was reprising his role as Rick Flag Sr. from that series.

The production moved to Northeast Ohio on June 14, when filming took place at the Headlands Beach State Park in Mentor, Ohio. Six weeks of filming took place throughout Cleveland, beginning in downtown Cleveland on June 24. Filming locations included Ontario Street, the Cleveland Greyhound Station, Public Square, the Detroit–Superior Bridge, PNC Plaza, Progressive Field, and Cleveland Arcade. Exterior shots of the Huntington Bank Building, Key Tower, and the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument were filmed in Public Square. The exterior of the Leader Building stood in for the headquarters of the Daily Planet, and Key Tower was used as the headquarters for Stagg Enterprises. Filming in Cleveland was completed on July 16, when Gunn said there were a couple weeks left of shooting. The production moved to Cincinnati by July 18, taking place at the Cincinnati Museum Center in Union Terminal and in the Lytle Tunnel. Filming wrapped on July 30.

Post-production

In August 2024, Sean Gunn confirmed his casting as Maxwell Lord for the film. The following month, Alan Tudyk was revealed to have a role in the film after voicing several characters in Creature Commandos; Tudyk voices the Superman robot "Four". Comic book writer Mark Waid revealed that Krypto was appearing in the film, which Gunn officially confirmed in October. He explained that the character's portrayal was inspired by his dog Ozu, who was adopted soon after Gunn began writing Superman, and said Ozu was at first "problematic to say the least... I remember thinking, 'Gosh, how difficult would life be if Ozu had superpowers?'—and thus Krypto came into the script and changed the shape of the story".

Gunn began test screening the film by the start of December. A day-and-a-half of individual pick-up shots were scheduled to take place in Los Angeles shortly after, which Gunn said was to "enhance the film" rather than reshoot any scenes. Alcock was confirmed to be appearing in the film in January 2025. Three days of pick-ups had also taken place in Atlanta by the end of May, and Gunn said the film was completed and received a picture lock on June 5. Later that month, Michael Rooker and Klementieff were confirmed to have voiced two Superman robots alongside Cooper and Angela Sarafyan as Superman's Kryptonian parents Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van. William Hoy and Craig Alpert co-edited the film, after they respectively worked on the DC films The Batman and Blue Beetle (2023).

Much of the visual effects team from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 returned to work with Gunn on Superman, including visual effects supervisor Stéphane Ceretti. Visual effects were provided by Framestore, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), and Wētā FX. The film features 1,766 visual effects shots. Framestore created Krypto and shared the asset with ILM and Wētā, because each studio had Krypto shots to deliver. Framestore also worked on the Fortress of Solitude. ILM scanned the practical build of the Hammer of Boravia, built by Legacy, and developed the full CG version. ILM created Metropolis with New York City as the reference point for scale, style, and density, and used shots filmed in Cleveland to become part of Metropolis. Wētā created the kaiju creature and used ILM's asset of Metropolis for the kaiju fight sequence. The VFX team created a digital version of Cleveland Public Square so that Wētā could make shots that required extensive camera work that could not be achieved with drones, and also created all the interactions of the kaiju with the environment.

Music

In December 2023, Gunn said most of the film's score and major themes had been written, but the composer had not been announced because their deal had not been finalized. In February 2024, he announced that John Murphy was composing the score after doing so for The Suicide Squad, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022), and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. In December, Gunn confirmed that Murphy was using a new version of John Williams's "Superman March" theme from the 1978 Superman film. Gunn considered Williams's score to be one of the greatest of all time and had associated his theme with Superman from the start of the film's development. He saw the theme's inclusion as one way for the film to harken back to past iterations. Unlike other projects by Gunn, Superman only features two licensed songs; "Punkrocker" by Teddybears & Iggy Pop, and "5 Years Time" by Noah and the Whale. In April 2025, David Fleming was revealed to be contributing some music and sharing credit for the score with Murphy. The end credits features the original song, "The Mighty Crabjoys Theme", which Gunn wrote with the Foxy Shazam rock band members Eric Nally and Devin Williams.

Marketing

For the January 2023 announcement, Gunn used the cover art of All-Star Superman's first issue to represent the film. He also posted the cover on social media in March when confirming that he would direct the film. Gunn marked the beginning of filming in February 2024 by posting a picture of Superman's logo, which commentators noted for its visual similarity to the character's costume in the Kingdom Come comic book, albeit with the classic yellow and red color scheme. Safran promoted the film on-stage during Warner Bros.'s CinemaCon presentation in April, with Gunn, Corenswet, and Brosnahan appearing via video messages. The panel unveiled a full look at the Superman emblem and Gunn said he planned to attend the following year's event in-person with the cast to initiate a "Summer of Superman". Gunn released a first-look image of Corenswet in costume in early May, which depicts Superman suiting up while an alien-looking threat attacks in the background. Commentary on the image focused on the return of red briefs, which were absent from the Man of Steel design. Elements of the costume were also compared to Jim Lee's design used in DC Comics' 2011 New 52 initiative. The character's pose and the attack in the background sparked speculation about Superman's characterization in the film and the threats he may face. A display inspired by the film's Fortress of Solitude was included at Warner Bros.'s Licensing Expo booth in Las Vegas later in May.

Gunn released the first image of Krypto, alongside Corenswet's Superman, in October 2024 in honor of "Adopt a Shelter Dog" month. A motion poster was released on December 16 featuring a slowed-down rendition of John Williams's "Superman March" with an electric guitar opening. Jordan Moreau at Variety described the poster as an homage to Christopher Reeve's portrayal of Superman in the 1978 film but with quieter, "more thoughtful" music. A teaser trailer was shown at a press screening that day ahead of a public release on December 19. The trailer had over 250 million global views in its first 24 hours, making it the most-viewed and discussed trailer for a DC Comics or Warner Bros. film in that time period. WaterTower Music released Murphy's music for the trailer as a single, titled "Theme from Superman (Trailer Version)", later that day. Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl XXI on Super Bowl Sunday in February 2025 was co-sponsored by the film, with Gunn and Ozu appearing to introduce new footage. A "Krypto Super Play" award was presented to one of the puppies participating in the game. At the end of the month, DC Studios hired Ricky Strauss, a former marketing executive at Apple TV+ and Disney, to consult on the film's marketing following the exit of Warner Bros. global marketing chief Josh Goldstine the prior month. Safran said Zaslav had "rallied the entire company" behind the film in a similar way to previous successful Warner Bros. films such as Barbie (2023).

Release

Theatrical

Superman premiered at the TCL Chinese Theater on July 7, 2025, and was released theatrically by Warner Bros. Pictures internationally on July 9, and in the United States and China on July 11, in IMAX, RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, ScreenX, and 4DX.

In January 2025, the estate of Superman co-creator Joe Shuster filed a lawsuit against WBD, asserting that the rights to distribute the film in some international territories had reverted to them based on different copyright laws: the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia in 2017, and Canada in 2021. Two months later, WBD filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, citing prior copyright lawsuits being rejected, and it was dismissed in April, due to a lack of jurisdiction. The lawsuit was refiled with the New York Supreme Court a month later, with an injunction requested, but the motion was denied in early June.

Home media

The film was released for digital download on August 15, 2025, and was released on the Warner Bros. streaming service HBO Max on September 19, after a respective 35-day and a 70-day theatrical window, followed by Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on September 23. The home media releases include deleted scenes, a making-of documentary, a commentary by Gunn, the first short of the animated series Krypto Saves the Day!, and various featurettes. Gunn said Superman was released early on digital platforms to allow audiences to watch it before the second season of Peacemaker (2025), which connects to the film. The film accumulated 13 million global viewers within its first ten days on HBO Max, which was the highest amount for that period for a "pay-one" film on that service since Barbie in December 2023. Superman's streaming release also prompted increased viewership for other Superman films around that time, including the documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024), the 1978 Superman film, Superman Returns (2006), and Man of Steel.

Reception

Box-office performance

Superman grossed $354.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $264.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $618.7 million. It is the tenth highest-grossing film of 2025, the highest-grossing superhero film of that year, and the first DC film to surpass all Marvel films released within a single year since The Dark Knight in 2008. Umberto Gonzalez at TheWrap described this as a "stunning reversal of fortune" for Marvel. According to Variety, the film was expected to earn a theatrical profit of approximately $125 million, while Bloomberg Businessweek and TheWrap both reported that the film earned over $100 million in profit through a combination of ticket sales, online home media rentals, and merchandise partnerships.

At the start of June 2025, TheWrap estimated that Superman needed to gross more than $500 million worldwide to become profitable at the box office, but that it would need to earn around $700 million to be considered a success, a notion which Gunn disputed. The Hollywood Reporter estimated that the film could have a domestic opening weekend of around $175 million and a potential global total of over $1 billion, based on the first full trailer's engagement metrics, while noting its production and marketing costs accounted for a total of around $400 million. Three weeks ahead of the film's release, Superman was projected to earn $125–145 million or approximately $135 million in its domestic opening weekend, which would be higher than the debut of Man of Steel ($116 million). DC Studios and Warner Bros. estimated a more conservative debut of $90–125 million, while the potential $175 million debut remained projected, which would surpass the debut of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ($166 million) as the biggest opening for a DC film. In the week of release, Deadline Hollywood projected the film's domestic opening gross to be around $115–130 million.

On July 10, Deadline Hollywood reported the film earned $2.8 million from Tuesday previews for an estimated total $21 million including Thursday previews. Final Thursday previews would see the film make $22.5 million, when counting both theatrical and Tuesday Amazon Prime screenings ($2.8 million). This was, at the time, the best preview box office for any film released in the year 2025 before The Fantastic Four: First Steps surpassed it two weeks later, as well as a record for any film involving Gunn. This was also higher than the previous preview box office record Warner Bros. achieved with Barbie. The film was now projected to make $115–$121 million at the domestic box office during its opening weekend, and over $210 million worldwide during this time as well. The film made $56.5 million on its first day, the second-highest of 2025, behind A Minecraft Movie. It ended up debuting to $125 million, finishing atop the box office, and becoming the biggest opening weekend for a standalone Superman film ahead of Man of Steel, as well as the second-biggest opening weekend for a film featuring Superman, behind Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It also scored the third-highest opening weekend for a 2025 film, behind A Minecraft Movie and Lilo & Stitch. In its second weekend, the film remained in first place, grossing $57 million. This marked a 54% drop, which was deemed better than other superhero films of 2025 up until that point, such as Captain America: Brave New World (68%) and Thunderbolts* (56%), attributed to positive word-of-mouth, with Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian pointing out that the film's second-weekend drop is "indicative of a marketplace that's embracing the film". In its third weekend, the film was dethroned by newcomer The Fantastic Four: First Steps, finishing second, earning $24.9 million, a 57% drop. By the end of July, Superman became the first DC film since The Batman (2022) to earn over $300 million domestically, and in late August, it became the first DC film, also since The Batman, to earn $600 million globally. While still earning over $1 million domestically in an already reduced wide release of 1,187 theatres in week nine, the film was cut back to 390 theatres in week 10, and pulled from domestic theatres after week 12.

Critical response

Critics found the film to be fun, colorful, and earnest, although some felt it was overstuffed with characters and ideas. The performances of Corenswet, Brosnahan, and Hoult were praised. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 505 critics gave the film a positive review for an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Pulling off the heroic feat of fleshing out a dynamic new world while putting its champion's big, beating heart front and center, this Superman flies high as a Man of Tomorrow grounded in the here and now." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 based on 58 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale, the same as Man of Steel. Those surveyed by PostTrak gave it an 86% positive score, and 74% said they would definitely recommend it.

IGN rated the film 8/10, calling it "wonderfully entertaining and heartfelt". Scott Phillips of Forbes praised its colorful visuals, humor and lighthearted tone. Trace Sauveur of AwardsWatch welcomed its no‑origin‑story, no‑crossover approach. Jake Cole of Slant Magazine argued the character endures because he transcends passing trends. Cody Dericks of Next Best Picture felt the casting is as pitch‑perfect as Christopher Reeve's was decades ago. Writing for NPR, Glen Weldon gave the film a positive review, stating that it "delivers a Superman deeply in touch with his humanity, and perfectly representative of the essence of the character."

Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence called it: "A movie that doesn't sacrifice its titular character in service to franchise-building. Instead, it focuses on celebrating the values that Superman himself has embodied from the beginning." William Bibbiani of TheWrap wrote: "James Gunn tried to make a great Superman movie, one that embraces the wonder of the character as an action hero and a moral paragon, which derives its drama from how people react to his faith in us. He succeeded." Nicholas Barber at BBC Culture gave the film three stars out of five, and wrote: "It takes some gall to make a zillion-dollar Hollywood blockbuster that feels so much like an eccentric sci-fi B-movie." Alissa Wilkinson of The New York Times called it a goofy yet charming take and compared it to Iron Man (2008). Variety's Owen Gleiberman praised the performances and gave it a positive review. David Crow of Den of Geek said the film achieves "true grace" when it narrows its focus to Lois and Clark.

Among more negative reviews, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film two stars out of five, criticizing its "pointless, cluttered backstory" and "yet another CGI city‑leveling finale". In a 2 out of 5 review for Empire, Sophie Butcher described it as "bold and bright and full of color and cosmic invention" but added that "the final act sinks into CGI chaos, with an unsatisfying climax, an eye-roll-inducing reveal, a restlessly intermittent tone, and an insistence on prioritizing things and people we don't really care about over core characters." Erik Kain gave the film two out of five for Forbes, writing that the "massive" cast finds itself in an "overstuffed, badly-paced plot" and that "the story moves from one action sequence to the next, racing forward at a breakneck pace that leaves little room for character development." Mark Kermode described the film as "tonally all over the place" and "messy", but that the film was "unexpectedly good fun" and overall enjoyable.

Accolades

For the 98th Academy Awards, Superman was shortlisted in the categories of Best Sound and Best Visual Effects. For the 83rd Golden Globes, Superman was submitted for the categories of Best Motion Picture – Drama and Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, while other submissions included Corenswet for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama, Brosnahan for Best Supporting Actress, Hoult for Best Supporting Actor, Gunn for Best Director and Best Screenplay, and "The Mighty Crabjoys Theme" by Gunn, Eric Nally, and Devin Williams for Best Original Song.

Future

Follow-up film

In June 2025, Gunn said he had begun writing a follow-up to Superman that would not be a direct sequel, but would feature Superman in a major role. Corenswet and Brosnahan had options for a potential sequel, but following Superman's release in July, a direct sequel was not expected to be imminently announced. The follow-up film, entitled Man of Tomorrow, was announced that September, with Gunn also directing, and is scheduled to be released on July 9, 2027. Gunn described it as the next story in the "Superman Saga" that was "as much a Lex movie as it is a Superman movie" and said it would include the pair working together against a bigger threat. Corenswet and Hoult will co-headline the film, returning alongside Brosnahan, Gisondo, Sampaio, De Faría, Merced, Gathegi, Fillion, Grillo, and Alcock. They are joined by Lars Eidinger as the film's antagonist Brainiac; Aaron Pierre in his role of the Green Lantern John Stewart from the DCU television series Lanterns (2026); Xolo Maridueña reprising his role of Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle from the DCEU film Blue Beetle (2023); and Adria Arjona, reportedly as Maxima; alongside Andre Royo, Matthew Lillard, and Sinqua Walls in undisclosed roles.

Spin-off series

In July 2025, Gunn was reported to be considering spin-off television series based on supporting characters from the film, such as Gathegi's Mister Terrific and Gisondo's Jimmy Olsen. A series focused on the latter was announced that November, with Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda attached as the writers, executive producers, and showrunners, along with Gisondo reprising his role. It was ordered for HBO Max in August 2026 as an eight episode half-hour mockumentary comedy series titled The People v. Gorilla Grodd, and is presented as a true crime docuseries hosted by Olsen who investigates with other Daily Planet reporters whether the superintelligent ape Gorilla Grodd was wrongfully convicted of murdering his father, the king of Gorilla City, and attempts to reopen the case. Jimmy Tatro also stars as Grodd, alongside Mary Holland as the female lead, Sandra. Supporting cast members from Superman reprising their roles are Wendell Pierce as Perry White, Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard, and Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant, while Eduardo Franco, Arian Moayed, Perrault, Andrew Leeds, and Tim Baltz are cast in undisclosed roles. Filming is scheduled to start in late 2026.

The Mister Terrific series was revealed to be in active development in July 2026, with Allan Heinberg writing the pilot.