Hollywood Press Still Trying To Call 'Superman' A 'Massive Success' To Placate James Gunn

The 2025 version of "Superman" from director James Gunn was billed as a turning point for the entertainment industry.

Hollywood has struggled to bring audiences back to theaters, with declining box-office revenue and anemic ticket sales. COVID lockdowns reshaped consumer behavior, with many willing to stay home and wait for new release movies to hit streaming services. Major franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe have lost momentum after choosing to spotlight minor side characters in a misguided attempt to tick boxes on a progressive checklist. Then there’s the other big problem: the industry has told a majority of the country it doesn’t value their business.

Regardless of the reasons, "Superman" was supposed to help reverse those trends. 

Reuters said in May that the film would "hold keys to [the] 2025 box office." The Financial Times said that for Gunn, "His success or failure with Superman could shape the future of the genre." The Associated Press said in April that it could "rescue the 2025 box office." The Las Vegas Review-Journal, when discussing a CinemaCon presentation said it "may be burdened with trying to save moviegoing as we know it."

It did not meet those expectations or show that Hollywood is back on the right track.

RELATED: 'Superman' Box Office Fizzles Out, Securing Yet Another Hollywood Superhero Flop

Despite its high-profile character, creative team, and the marketing power of DC Studios and Warner Bros., "Superman" was nowhere close to turning a profit at the box office. Yet industry trades this week cast Gunn’s film as a smashing success that's helped save the industry. Why mislead their audiences?

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 02: James Gunn attends the Warner Bros. premiere of "The Suicide Squad" at Regency Village Theatre on August 02, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

Warner Bros. Greenlights ‘Superman’ Sequel, Trades Go Nuts

In a post on X announcing that Warners and DC will make a sequel to "Superman"—"Man of Tomorrow"—industry publication Deadline called Gunn’s 2025 film a "massive success."

"Following the massive success of #Superman, DC Studios is moving fast on its next film revolving around the Man of Steel as it has dated ‘Man of Tomorrow’ to bow on July 9, 2027. 

"James Gun is back writing and directing, with David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult expected to return as Superman/Clark Kent and Lex Luthor, respectively."

"Massive success?" Based on what?

"Superman" has made $612 million globally as of Thursday afternoon. While not embarrassing, it’s anemic given pre-release expectations, the massive cost of production and marketing, and the hopes it carried for rejuvenating the industry moving forward.

The most recent "Superman" movie, 2013's "Man of Steel," made nearly $930 million globally, after adjusting for inflation. The 2025 release took in roughly $318 million less at the box office. That's tens of millions fewer tickets sold. If this release is considered a "massive success" now, Hollywood has serious problems.

Why would Deadline describe it this way? They want to retain access to Gunn, Warner Bros. and DC, for one. The other is that describing it accurately as a box-office disappointment would mean acknowledging that Gunn’s pre-release remarks about the film being "political" could have hurt its gross. Do we know for sure if it did—or by how much? No, and we never will. But the possibility alone is enough for the industry to keep gaslighting to protect its party.

A "massive success" for "Superman" would have been $800 million to $900 million, or more, at the global box office. It’s hundreds of millions behind that. It also made $240 million less globally than "Jurassic World: Rebirth," even underperforming it domestically— despite that film being critically panned, and disliked by audiences.

The hard sell tells you they know they have a problem—and it’s one of their own making.