‘Superman’s’ Good (and Scary) Box Office Numbers, Revealed
Man of Steel reboot wins the weekend, but one key comparison can't be ignored
James Gunn’s version of Superman bleeds.
It’s a shocking sight for the Man of Steel, arguably the strongest superhero across the comic book landscape.
Bloodied but unbowed.
The director’s “Superman” reboot scored big at the box office this weekend, with an estimated $123 million haul in its debut frame. That blew past runner-up “Jurassic World Rebirth” with $40 million. That’s the third biggest U.S. box office opening this year.
The numbers don’t tell the whole story.
“Superman’s” tally came close to matching “Man of Steel,” the 2013 super-reboot starring Henry Cavill as the titular hero. That movie made $116 million in its first weekend, but movie ticket prices were much cheaper at the time.
See the problem? It gets more complicated. Deadline reports that box office tallies back in the 2010s didn’t include the preview/early screenings. That means “Man of Steel” actually made more than “Superman” – $128.6 million.
Now, look at the number of tickets sold:
Estimated tickets sold opening weekend:
MAN OF STEEL (14.3M)
SUPERMAN (10.7M)
Sometimes a win isn’t quite a win.
The overseas ticket sales offer more cause for concern. “Superman” isn’t getting much traction in China, a market that can often make or break a blockbuster film.
From here, it’s a waiting game. Will “Superman” have legs? The film’s general audience score at Rotten Tomatoes suggests, “yes” (93 percent “fresh”).
Now, imagine what these numbers would be if Gunn hadn’t gotten political at the 11th hour.
The writer/director dubbed the project “political” and said Superman is the ultimate immigrant. No mention of legal or illegal, by the way, standard procedure for the modern Left. Gunn went further, saying “screw” those who don’t see the film that way.
Brother Sean Gunn doubled down on that nastiness, suggesting those who disagree with the Gunn worldview vis a vis “Superman” aren’t true Americans.
The comments quickly went viral. Did that impact the film’s box office numbers?
Not according to the far-Left Deadline. Its proof?
Wait, weren’t some source expecting Superman to go hog wild after the $22M previews with a $140M-$150M opening? Is MAGA to blame? Is Gunn’s “immigrant” comments to blame? It’s my understanding, not at all, because the red county zones for this type of movie aren’t underperforming (more on that soon), rather they’re churning out the average amount of cash for a PG-13 family adventures movie.
Stop laughing.
“Superman” isn’t your typical “PG-13 family adventures” movie. And Deadline knows it.
Later, Deadline attacks a Fox News guest who wondered if Gunn’s comments could ding the box office results. Hardly, argues the web site, predicting a $140-150 million weekend stateside.
The final numbers proved otherwise.
Clearly, Gunn’s “Superman” is far from a flop and the marketing machine behind it did its job. Like “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” and “F1®” before it, the film’s massive budget demands a massive box office return.
We’re not there yet. Will we be in a few weeks? That’s the potential Kryptonite awaiting the newest Man of Steel and, by extension, Hollywood in toto.