SUPERMAN: New Report May Clear Up Whether The First DC Studios Movie Turned A Box Office Profit

I'd argue the article because if you know the production budget and you add the marketing budget times 1.5 (2.5 is if you only know the production budget), the profit area is after 525 million. Also the studio makes closer to 90% for the first two weeks and over time the theater eventually gets to that 55% share. It's amazing how Forbes leaves out that significant part considering the most money is made in the first two weeks. So either way this did make a profit in the theatrical run. Regardless, it's the first time in 17 years DC beat Marvel. That's a big deal lol

@spr0cks - The guy writing the article is an entertainment reporter and a movie reviewer, not a financial analyst.

Also, you should read the full article and take more notes, because later on he writes that he has no idea if it’s going to turn a profit overall or not.

But, yeah, I’m calling it a W, my man. I loved the film.

@bobevanz - How do you account for the massive amount of revenue gained from the synergistic marketing brand deals (Purina, LUCKY, GAP, Fossil, Reebok, Kith, Crocs, FUNKO, Keebler, Chuck E. Cheese, Samsung, etc.), of which this film reportedly had more than any other WB production in the last decade at least. I feel like adding the 'marketing budget' creates for an erroneous number in this case, don't you?

@thedrudo - pretty ridiculous if you ask me. Same nonsense but different day.

@rkshuttleworth - don’t mean to come off rude but does this post refer to something i wrote? I don’t think the box office for a big ip like Superman is the only indication for the movie being successful.

@Apophis71 - Box office split is done by agreement for each film but, generally, studios average 70-80% of the box office for the first two weeks, and then it drops to 50% by the end; with shorter windows for movies, cinemas are making up the differences in concessions and selling advertising during the pre-show. Internationally, studios start at 90%, and often keep that rate because the studios own or are in direct partnership with the theatres showing the film.

So if Superman earned 122 million domestically and 95 million internationally in the first weekend, WB took home at least (because I'm hedging to the low end) 90 million domestically and 76 million internationally – that's 166 million in weekend one alone. Week two was 57-58 million, which adds another 43 million, bringing the revenue to just over 200 million.

Or, if you look at where it was at the end of the third week ($289.5 million and its international gross at $213.2 million), then 60% of the domestic and 75% of the foreign by the least calculation is over $322 million for WB. That's very close to the $350 million and it's not the final total for the box office run either. AND that's before ancillary deals with the theatres on specialised cups and popcorn buckets, so the movie did make money at the box office.

There's a definite push by some writers — including "financial experts" — to portray WB/DC as a loser.

@spr0cks - it didn’t claim Man of Steel didn’t get a sequel but it released during the height of superhero movies any superhero movie that was somewhat decent was making money. if Superman had been released then it would have made more than Man of Steel did.

@Will44482 - all Snyder cultists? What about Marvel tribalism or people who just want to justify DC hate in general?

@Zupernova -


RE : "The Man of Steel sequel threw in Batman because they didn't trust Superman with a standalone movie after the mixed reviews."


I absolutely love that you're saying this in defense of a Superman movie in 2025 that had....how many other "main" characters.....again?...

.....and one in which Sueprman was essentially reduced to 4th tier status in his own movie.

Brilliant!

The lack of self-awareness is so delicious, you could almost taste it.

RE : >>>"Deadpool & Wolverine made a billion dollars because of nostalgia of bringing back Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, just like No Way Home brought back the old Spider-Men."

I'm sorry, I was under the impression that Superman was a bigger character and much more well-known name in comicbooks and comicbook movies than either Deadpool or Wolverine - two characters in this case whose prior movies had never come close to making a billion at the box office.

But sure...

Nostalgia.

Premium copium there.

RE : >>>>"The Batman was explicitly a standalone movie that had no pressure of holding up a cinematic universe."

So you missed the part where I noted that it was released during the biggest pandemic in a century when half the world was scared to go out into crowded places like theaters, I guess.

Cool. Cool. Cool.

RE :"Also, Batman is the most popular superhero ever."

Nope.
That would be Spider-Man.
And it's not even close.


RE : "There was a mid-budget Joker movie without Batman, and it still made a billion dollars."

Also released after the so-called "height of superhero movies" when all you needed was a superhero in the movie (it didn't have one) to make a ton of money.

Thanks for reminding us of that.
And also that you don't need to have 4 or 5 major supporting characters to prop up your main hero in his solo movie to make bank at the box office in the post-covid era.

@Will44482 - Yes, they would. It seems like pumping out 🐃💩 is trendy in Hollywood. They'll likely make the sequel worse, make less money, and celebrate it like it's better than TDK.

@Zupernova -

RE : "Superman is more well-known, but Zack Snyder ruined his reputation in the eyes of moviegoers."

Yeah, he ruined his reputation so much that it was a breeze for James Gunn to make a Superman movie 12 years later that wiped the floor with Man of Steel's box office gross - with more people going to see it than saw Man of Steel.

Oh wait....

But I guess now is the part where you recycle the excuse that Man of Steel only made more money than Superman 2025 was capable of making because somethingsomething "...it was made in when comicbook movies were more popular...."....
...even though you're still incapable of explaining why it is then that a Deadpool and Wolverine movie made just LAST year was able to make over a billion at the box office.

Also, Man of Steel got the same A- Cinemascore as Superman 2025 did - i.e. what moviegoers rated it after leaving the theater.
So he couldn't have ruined its reputation THAT badly.

Carry on...


RE : >>>"Meanwhile, the MCU created a positive reputation, especially people who don't read comics. That's why the 2012 Avengers movie made more money than EVERY SINGLE DCEU MOVIE."

Might have more to do with the fact that Marvel did a better job building up to the Avengers than the rushjob that WB wanted or tried to forced Snyder into in getting to a Justice League movie, and less to do with Snyder ruining any Superhero's reputation.

Tyler Hoechlin was able to star in a successful and well-beloved 'Superman and Lois' TV show that succesfully ran for 5 seasons up until James Gunn had it cancelled last year before his movie was released - and some 6 years after Zack Snyder had supposedly ruined Superman's reputation that people no longer liked the character that much.

So he couldn't possibly have ruined its reputation THAT badly.

But whatevs...

RE : >>>"Venom released around the same time as Joker (during the "height of superhero movies"). Both movies are about supervillains without the main superhero, and Joker made more money. So yes, Batman is bigger. At the very least, he's the most popular DC superhero."

Are you seriously comparing the Venom as a character to The Joker in trying to explain how the latter's solo movie made more money than the former?

Venom is nowhere near as well-known or as popular a character - even WITHIN the Spider-Man gallery of rogues and villains as the Joker is well-known as one of Batman's foremost foes.

Besides which, whatever happened to the explanation that the simple reason The Joker made more money (and won more ACTUAL awards.....you know...the kinds of awards that no Batman movie has ever won, like Academy Awards) was simply because The Joker was a much better movie an superior in every respect versus the very obvious cashgrab for Sony that all Venom movies have been.

Dude.

You really do make some silly arguments sometimes.


And Again.....NO.....Batman is NOT the most popular superhero character in the world.

Spider-Man is and no other superhero character comes close - not even in the MCU or in Marvel writ large.
By orders of magnitude.

There's statistical and financial data that backs up this FACT.

Batman may be the most popular character in the DC superhero, and perhaps that the claim you should have made and stopped there.
But that's not saying much.

And it still doesn't explain how a The Batman movie was STILL able to make almost $160 Million more in a PANDEMIC than Superman 2025 did during none.
Not just the character's popularity.

@MuadDib - as long as he’s not anything like Afleck’s Batman in the Flash movie. Double woof. But there are so many Batman vibes that haven’t been explored. It’s like the movies go dark and gritty or campy and corny. The animated series did a good job of making the entire bat universe feel cohesive from cat burglars and mobsters to mud monsters and giant bat creatures to ventriloquist themed killers.

@foreverintheway - how daré you call América that..this country fought to Smash the nazis, ITS non sense to call América nazi when we stand for what Is rigth ..for people like you that...that person killed that young ukranian refugee. Lets stop división now

@Malatrova15 - Sounds like Jimmy Gunn written cluster[frick] alright.

@Zupernova - thats what you said ... if you read the comics of JLA Jaranpurh has a history of hostility and dictatorships against occident...Boravia claimed It was defending themselves from this , also that land was promised to them 300 gazillion years ago ...AND even if dont extrajudicial killings aré a Crime in Any case Gurkov should stand trial to see if he Is really the monster the media wants us to belive. Think for one second

@Zupernova - did you know Jaranpurh orquestated an attack on sovereign countries AND kidnap several persona...Again read a cómic before talk

@Zupernova - he doesnt kill children..the terrorists aré hiding in schools AND hospitales...Let that sink out