Superman Outgrosses The Entire Box Office Haul Of Marvel’s Thunderbolts* In Just Two Weekends

Directed by James Gunn, Superman continues to perform well at the box office, flying past another major superhero release: Thunderbolts*. Released on July 11, Superman stars David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult, among others. Meanwhile, Thunderbolts* released in May, with an ensemble cast of MCU stars such as Sebastian Stan, Florence Pugh, Wyatt Russell, and David Harbour.

Though Thunderbolts* performed well with critics and among Marvel fans, its overall gross was lower than most of the franchise’s films, including Captain America: Brave New World, which was also released this year. Thunderbolts* made $382.1 million globally, with a divide of $189.9 million domestically and $192.1 million internationally.

Likewise, Superman received favorable reviews, though it did have some vocal critics among both those who found its message political and those who were still mourning the DCEU. Nonetheless, it is making waves, with an overall gross of $406.8 million. Notably, its domestic total of $235 million is higher by a large margin than its global total of $171.8 million.

What Superman Passing Thunderbolts* At The Box Office Means

The DCU Is On The Rise

Superman has a reported budget of around $225 million in production costs and $125 million in marketing costs. As such, the movie would need to make between $450 million to $600 million to break even. At over $400 million on only its second weekend, Superman will most certainly reach the lower end of that range.

As for Thunderbolts*, its overall budget was cheaper at $180 million, making its breakeven point around $360 million without promotional costs. Factoring in the $100 million spent on marketing, it would have needed to gross $560 minimum. As such, the film recouped its production costs, but not its marketing budget.

David Corenswet as Superman looking offscreen

Superman Officially Surpasses Dwayne Johnson’s 2022 DCEU Box Office Bomb

James Gunn’s Superman has now passed the domestic box office total of Black Adam, the Dwayne Johnson-starring vehicle meant to revitalize the DCEU.

Currently, these figures mean Superman is on track to be a bigger success for DC Studios than Thunderbolts* was for Marvel. Additionally, its current standing at $406.8 million positions it to overtake Captain America: Brave New World’s total gross of $415.1 million shortly.

Our Take On Superman Passing Thunderbolts* At The Box Office

Val and the New Avengers pose together in front of the Thunderbolts asterisk

While Thunderbolts* is bound to be a fan favorite for years to come, it did underperform, especially for a movie intended to introduce a new faction of the Avengers. However, it had a lot working against it, as the majority of its cast members had only played supporting roles in past Marvel projects and lacked name recognition.

Superman also had a steep challenge: making DC a viable brand for casual moviegoers after the downfall of the DCEU. Given that it has already surpassed many DCEU films financially, it might just have met that goal. Nonetheless, Superman’s status as a box office hit still depends on how ticket sales hold.