“Superman’s” quick turnaround from theatrical release to being available on-demand is mostly due to “Peacemaker” Season 2.
In an interview with Screenrant, James Gunn – who directed “Superman” and serves as showrunner on “Peacemaker” – explained that the reason the new DCU launchpad film is getting a digital release so soon is so as many people can see it as possible before the new season of the HBO Max series. The film was released in theaters on July 11 and will be available digitally starting Aug. 15.
“Well, it’s very complicated, but the truth is it is because of ‘Peacemaker,’” Gunn said in the interview published Thursday. “I originally thought ‘Peacemaker’ was going to be coming out next month. There was a lot of things that are beyond our control, so that ‘Peacemaker’ is coming out now, and, at the end of the day, I wanted everyone to be able to see ‘Superman’ that wanted to, even those people who couldn’t get to a theater before ‘Peacemaker.’ And that’s really the reason for it.”
Despite a quick turnaround to a digital release, “Superman” has been a success at the box office. To date, the first entry in Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU has pulled in $334 million domestically and racked up nearly $600 million globally. The film will remain in theaters while also being available digitally.
Since before “Superman” released in theaters, questions about what characters might remain in Gunn and Safran’s DCU have been all over the internet. John Cena’s Peacemaker made the jump, along with the other characters from the first season of the series. Gunn was asked about another prominent and fan-favorite character’s likelihood of returning – Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn.
“That will be revealed down the line,” Gunn told Entertainment Weekly.
“Peacemaker” Season 2 debuts on Aug. 21.
