James Gunn Says ‘Superman’ Won’t Be a Flop If It Doesn’t Hit $700 Million

Superman, the first feature film from DC Studios, is set to be released this week, and the discourse surrounding the film suggests that a lot is riding on it. The previous attempt at building an interconnected universe of DC characters, akin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). At this point, it has become infamous for how studio interference and changes in creative leadership ultimately doomed Zack Snyder’s plans for a trilogy of Justice League films. Now, James Gunn and Peter Safran are co-chairmen of the newly branded DC Studios, with numerous projects lined up for the first saga of films, titled God and Monsters.

There has been plenty of discussion regarding how vital Superman’s financial performance is to Gunn and Safran’s vision, as a middling box office intake could be reminiscent of how the last attempt at the DC Universe began with 2013’s Man of Steel. However, in an interview with GQ Magazine, Gunn didn’t seem nearly as concerned as everyone else seemed to be online, with the director saying, “Is there something riding on it? Yeah, but it’s not as big as people make it out to be. They hear these numbers that the movie’s only going to be successful if it makes $700 million or something, and it’s just complete and utter nonsense. It doesn’t need to be as big of a situation as people are saying.”

James Gunn Addresses Already Having Regrets About ‘Superman,’ and Knowing Mistakes Will Be Made in the DCU

James Gunn and Peter Safran are ready to really start their DCU journey with ‘Superman,’ but they know it will not always be easy.

Part of the concern for Superman’s success stems not only from the already completed and in-production movies at DC Studios, such as Supergirl and Clayface, but also from the poor performance of comic book movies in recent years. The past two Marvel Studios releases struggled at the box office, with Captain America: Brave New World earning an impressive $415 million worldwide, but reportedly requiring at least $425 million to break even, taking into account marketing costs.

James Gunn Isn’t Concerned About Superhero Fatigue

David Corenswet suited up as the new DCU's Man of Steel in James Gunn's Superman — Warner Bros. Pictures

Thunderbolts* is another case where, despite rave reviews and its exciting connections to future Avengers films, the movie ended up losing Marvel Studios millions of dollars. DC has had its own recent flops, too, one of the most noticeable in 2023 being Shazam: Fury of the Gods. The problem of superhero fatigue seems more prevalent than ever before. However, Gunn isn’t worried about that impacting Superman, as the filmmaker has said in a previous interview with Rolling Stone that it has less to do with superheroes, and more “to do with the kind of stories that get to be told, and if you lose your eye on the ball, which is character.”

Gunn has had an impressive track record with all the Guardians of the Galaxy films, with the final film in the trilogy being Disney’s highest-grossing film of 2023. Moreover, while Gunn’s first DC film, The Suicide Squad, would ultimately prove to be a box office disappointment, the movie faced numerous challenges, including its same-day streaming release date and the post-COVID theatrical landscape still struggling to recover. Gunn is more than familiar with delivering critical and financial hits, and Superman will more than likely not be any different.

Overall, Gunn’s confidence in Superman and its talented production team makes it seem like the new DCU is secure, at least for the foreseeable future. Superman has already had impressive opening-weekend box office projections, and all that remains to be seen is whether the critical response to the movie will help serve as positive word of mouth, or if a mixed response could lead to a steep drop in performance throughout its theatrical run.

Source: GQ Magazine, Rolling Stone