411 Box Office Report: Superman Opens Solidly To Claim Top Spot

Superman came in as expected to win the weekend with a perfectly acceptable superhero film start. The DC Universe big-screen relaunch film led the way with $122 million. That is right around where it was expected to open going into the frame, and reps the best start for a DC Universe or DCEU film since Suicide Squad opened to $133.7 million back in August of 2016.

A lot of people will be arguing whether this is a fantastic or awful start for the film, but the fact is that it’s perfectly fine without being incredible. The James Gunn-directed take on the Man of Steel is the second-best opening off all time for a film headlined by the character, behind only the $166.1 million that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice did in March of 2016. It beats the $116.6 million start of Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel from 2013 – though of course, all of these come with a ton of caveats and direct comparison is wacky for a number of reasons.

All that said, this is a fine start for a film that was relaunching the DC film franchise after the DCEU ended in a rough state. There was a lot of skepticism around this relaunch, which had Warner Bros. keeping their expectations very measured. (Going into the weekend, they were looking at potentially $100 million.) Battling the skepticism about DC and superhero films in general were very good reviews; the film stands at an 82% aggregated critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, which buoyed hopes for the film. There were a few industry prognosticators suggesting that the movie might do in the $135 million to $150 million range, but those were always extremely optimistic at the best.

The outlook is solid for the film at this point, particularly with the potential for some box office legs. The word of mouth is very good with a 93% RT audience score and an A- CinemaScore. That’s the best CinemaScore for a DC film since Shazam! scored an A in 2019. And with a couple of weeks before Fantastic 4 arrives, Kal-El may be able to scoop up a fair amount of money in the meantime.

While some will point to Superman’s relatively more modest $95 million overseas take as a problem, the character has generally performed in a more balanced state between domestic and overseas grosses unless he’s paired with Batman or the like. A $217 million worldwide start is nothing to sneeze at, especially considering all the factors in play here. The film cost a reported $225 million so there’s still a ways to go before Superman becomes a hit, but the signs are good. If the film can leg out to $275 million or so in the US it will be in great shape, and that should be very doable. $300 million is not outside the realm of possibility.

Jurassic World Rebirth had a very solid hold for the franchise in its second weekend, especially when battling Superman. The dino blockbuster brought in $40 million, a 57% drop from last week’s three-day start. That’s better than the 59% drops for the last two Jurassic World films. Rebirth is now in full-on hit mode, as it has grossed $232.1 million domestically and $529.5 million worldwide against a $180 million budget. It is relatively certain to pass the $300 million mark at this point and will be a money maker for the studio, ensuring the franchise’s viability.

F1: The Movie was down 50% in its third weekend as largely anticipated. The Apple Original film added another $13 million to its purse, bringing its numbers to $136.2 million and $393.4 million worldwide against a $200 million budget. The film is continuing to perform fairly well and will likely be Apple’s first uber-expensive original film to bring a profit in from theatrical, with a $165 million to $170 million domestic total seeming likely at this point.

How To Train Your Dragon was off a very good 31% in its fifth weekend to score $7.8 million. The live-action remake is a hit for Universal with $239.8 million stateside and $560.8 million worldwide against its $150 million budget. It is still looking likely to close out around $260 million domestically. It’s already the highest grossing How to Train film domestically and should pass How to Train Your Dragon 2’s $614.6 million worldwide take without much problem.

Elio keeps struggling its way toward minimizing its losses for Disney and Pixar. The animated flick was down 33% to $3.9 million. That’s a good hold, but it’s not going to be enough to save this film that is now at $64.7 million in the US and $117.3 million worldwide. With a $150 million budget, its likely $75 million domestic final won’t do the trick.

28 Years Later slipped 40% in its fourth weekend to bring in $2.7 million. The revival sequel is now up to $65.7 million domestically and $138.3 million worldwide, solid numbers against a $60 million budget. It should provide profitable enough as it will close out domestically around $75 million.

Lilo & Stitch nosed down 32% to $2.7 million in its eighth frame as it brought its totals to $414.6 million in the US and $994.3 million worldwide. It will easily cross the $1 billion worldwide mark at this point of course and is a massive hit with its budget at “just” $100 million. $425 million is its probable endgame here.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning finally took a dip as it fell 47% in its eighth weekend. The action sequel grossed $1.5 million and pushed its totals to $194 million domestically and $584.1 million worldwide. Remember, this won’t be profitable in theaters thanks to the $400 million budget but will end right around $200 million in the US when it closes out.

M3GAN 2.0 continues to power down fast, falling 66% in its third weekend to bring in $1.4 million. That’s not good news for a film that opened low and fell hard last weekend as well. The campy sci-fi action film has $22.4 million in the US and $36.4 million worldwide against a $25 million budget and should be able to end around $26 million in the US. It may or may not be profitable depending on how the overseas numbers continue to do.

The Materialists spent one last weekend in the top 10 as it was down 46% to $720,000 for the frame. The Celine Song-directed romantic dramedy is profitable for A24 at this point with $35.2 million in the US and $49.6 million worldwide against a $20 million budget. It will end around $37 million domestically.

Superman will continue to reign next weekend, with the new releases more modestly set to open. The I Know What You Did Last Summer remake looking at a mid-double digit start, while Paramount’s animated Smurfs movie targets around $10 million. Ari Aster’s latest film, the divisive Eddington, is on part for a mid to high single digits start.

BOX OFFICE TOP TEN (Three-Day Domestic Numbers)
1. Superman – $122 million ($122 million total, $217 million WW)
2. Jurassic World Rebirth – $40.5 million ($232.1 million total, $529.5 million WW)
3. F1: The Movie – $13 million ($136.2 million total, $393.4 million WW)
4. How To Train Your Dragon – $7.8 million ($239.8 million total, $560.8 million WW)
5. Elio – $3.9 million ($63.7 million total, $117.3 million WW)
6. 28 Years Later – $2.7 million ($65.2 million total, $138.3 million WW)
7. Lilo & Sitch – $2.7 million ($414.6 million total, $994.3 million WW)
8. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning – $1.5 million ($194 million total, $584.1 million WW)
9. M3GAN 2.0 – $1.4 million ($22.4 million total, $36.4 million WW)
10. The Materialists – $720,000 ($35.2 million total, $49.6 million WW)