Superhero film starring Superman shatters global box office records with over $210 million in opening weekend earnings!
The 2025 release of "Superman" has shown a mixed bag of results in its box office performance, with some regions demonstrating strong support, while others have fallen short of expectations.
In Asia, the film's performance was notably weak, with projections indicating only $11 million in China, a figure attributed to local competition and post-lockdown market changes. Japan's performance was similarly underwhelming, contributing to the softness in Asian markets.
However, the film has found success in other regions. In Brazil, "Superman" set a record as James Gunn's biggest opener, indicating a strong reception in Latin America. Italy also showed a positive response, outperforming "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" by 159%.
Australia and France each contributed $2.5 million to the film's earnings, with Australia experiencing the best opening day of 2025 for the film. The United States and Canada have contributed $177.7 million domestically as of July 16, 2025.
The global box office debut of "Superman" was $96.5 million through Friday, with the film launching in 78 international countries. Mexico debuted at No. 1 with $2.2M on Thursday, DC's second-biggest opening day comparable to "The Batman". Indonesia had a $462K Wednesday opening, matching "Thunderbolts", surpassing "Guardians of the Galaxy 1 & 2", "Man of Steel", "The Batman", and "Top Gun: Maverick".
Spain launched "Superman" on Friday at $1M, which is 7% higher than "Justice League", 29% higher than "Aquaman", 77% higher than "Wonder Woman", and 106% higher than "Thunderbolt". The top 5 through Thursday were Mexico ($2.2M), Brazil ($2M), France ($1.8M), Australia ($1.3M), and Korea ($1.1M).
Superman led the Philippines on Wednesday with a $386K opening day, 22% higher than "Mission: Impossible", 29% higher than "Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom", and 31% higher than "Guardians of Galaxy Vol. 3". On Thursday in Thailand, Superman led with a 58% share at $631K.
The film's market failure in China was expected, while challenges in Asia, as expected, have made the region a poor market for the film. However, the film topped the UAE market with half, opening day results comparable to "The Batman" and higher than "Aquaman" and "Mission".
The UK launched "Superman" on Friday with $3.6M, topping all comparisons. Italy's Wednesday opening for "Superman" was $519K, topping "Justice League", smaller than "Man of Steel", larger than "Guardians of the Galaxy", significantly larger than "Wonder Woman", and much larger than "Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom".
Overall, while "Superman" had some success in certain global markets, its performance in Asia was particularly disappointing, highlighting broader challenges for DC films in the region.
- The thriving reception of "Superman" in Brazil sets it as James Gunn's biggest opener, indicating a strong liking in Latin American countries.
- Italy's box office performance of "Superman" demonstrated an outstanding response, outperforming "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" by 159%.
- On the other hand, Asia showed a less enthusiastic response to the film, with China projecting only $11 million, and Japan's performance being similarly underwhelming.
- The overall box office debut of "Superman" was $96.5 million through Friday, showcasing mixed results, with some regions exhibiting strong support, while others fell short of expectations, particularly in Asia.
