Warner Bros./DC Studios’ “Superman” is keeping a red hot July box office humming with a $56.5 million opening day that includes $22.5 million from Thursday previews. Independent projections now have the first film in James Gunn’s new DC cinematic universe earning a $122 million domestic opening from 4,135 locations.
Projections for “Superman” were all over the place in the days leading up to release, though independent tracker NRG’s prediction came in at $130 million. If matinee screenings on Saturday and Sunday overperform, “Superman” could get closer to that that figure, along with the $133 million opening of Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” in March 2022 and the unadjusted $128 million start of the last “solo” Superman film, Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel,” in 2013.
The CinemaScore polls for “Superman” also match those previous two DC films with an A-, joining Rotten Tomatoes scores of 82% critics and 94% audience. Provided that enough of the untapped moviegoer populace is open to watching superhero films and don’t disregard the buzz as something for a type of movie they no longer have interest in, “Superman” should have several weeks of high performance even with the upcoming release of Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic 4: First Steps.”
But while domestic sales are looking strong, “Superman” is looking like it won’t enjoy the overseas support that “The Batman” and many other hit superhero films have enjoyed. So far, the movie has grossed $40 million from 78 international markets, putting it in a position where it will likely take the majority of its global gross from domestic receipts.
A major factor in this softer overseas start comes from stiff competition from Universal/Amblin’s “Jurassic World: Rebirth,” which earned $171 million internationally last weekend to earn the year’s best global launch at $322 million. While international numbers for its second weekend won’t be reported by Universal until Sunday, the film is earning an estimated $38.7 million domestic in this frame for a two-weekend total of $230 million.
