“Superman” ruled the box office as the comic book adventure touched down with $217 million globally.
That breakdown includes $95 million overseas and $122 million domestically. Attendance was slightly softer than expected at the international box office, though box office watchers believe that’s partially due to Superman’s deeply patriotic roots. His motto, after all, is “Truth, justice and the American way.”
“Superman has always been identified as a quintessentially American character and story,” says David A. Gross, who runs the FranchiseRe movie consulting firm. “And in some parts of the world, America is currently not enjoying its greatest popularity.”
James Gunn directed the well-reviewed “Superman,” starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. In the new movie, the optimistic hero is trying to prove to the world that he’s fighting for good after the evil tech billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) attempts to sway public opinion against him. The $225 million-budgeted film marks an important reset in the Warner Bros.-backed DC Universe. After its last iteration of superhero movies flamed out with “The Flash,” “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” and others, Gunn and Peter Safran were hired in 2022 to overhaul DC Studios. They have outlined a 10-year plan of interconnected stories and spinoffs, including “Supergirl” and “Clayface” in 2026.
Global appeal will be key in the franchise’s big screen longevity. In the case of “Superman,” top-earning territories were the United Kingdom with $9.8 million, Mexico with $8.8 million, Brazil with $5.9 million and Australia with $5.3 million. The film bombed in China, earning just $6.6 million in its opening weekend. By comparison, “Jurassic World Rebirth” opened last weekend in China with $25 million.
In second place on international charts, Universal’s “Jurassic World Rebirth” collected $68 million from 82 overseas markets in its sophomore outing. Those ticket sales boost the dinosaur adventure’s international tally to $297 million. “Jurassic World Rebirth,” which rebooted the decades-old property with Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali, has crossed the $500 million milestone globally with $529 million to date.
Third place went to “F1: The Movie,” which added $38.5 million overseas and $51.5 million in its third lap around the track. The Apple Studios racing drama, starring Brad Pitt, is impressively nearing $400 million worldwide. Revenues currently stand at $257 million overseas and $393 million globally, strengthening its position as Apple’s highest grossing movie to date.
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In other box office news, Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” is moments away from becoming the year’s first billion-dollar release. The live-action remake has become hugely profitable, generating $579 million overseas and $994 million globally after eight weeks on the big screen. That’s a relief for Disney because another big-budget offering, Pixar’s “Elio,” is cratering with $53 million internationally and $117 million worldwide. Despite positive reviews, the $150 million-budgeted film will end its theatrical run as a major money loser for the studio.
From Variety US