Superman Crushed the Genre Box Office— Sorry, Haters
Let’s get one thing straight… the movie theater game isn’t what it used to be.
Over the last 10–15 years, attendance has fallen off a cliff. U.S. ticket sales are down nearly 40% from a decade ago, theaters themselves are disappearing by the thousands, and screens are vanishing like they’re on the Thanos snap list.
Globally? We’re still nowhere near pre-pandemic levels. And yet… somehow… Superman is flying higher than damn near anything in the genre right now.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Average superhero film in 2024–2025: $400M–$450M globally.
2023? A pathetic $393M average.
Superman? $578 million and counting, likely clearing $620M+ when all’s said and done.
That’s not “doing well,” that’s obliterating the curve in a market where the curve has been sinking like a stone.
Why This Matters
This isn’t 2018. We’re not living in the “every comic book movie makes a billion” era anymore.
The billion dollar club is now a luxury penthouse few can afford, especially if you’re not riding on an established MCU level franchise.
And this Superman film? It wasn’t a safe bet. DC’s brand was bruised, the cinematic universe was rebooted, and the fan base was fractured.
Yet here we are, with numbers that make most of 2024’s cape flicks look like direct to streaming casualties.
The Excuses Are Getting Old
Predictably, the naysayers are scrambling for ancient data from 15 years ago like it’s going to save their argument.
Newsflash… comparing today’s box office to 2013 is like comparing a 2025 Tesla to a ’95 Honda Civic. The industry has changed, fewer theaters, lower attendance, higher prices, streaming competition, and yes, the aftershocks of a pandemic.
The playing field isn’t the same, so stop pretending it is.
The Takeaway
Superman’s performance is a big, fat, undeniable W.
It’s beating the averages, dominating the conversation, and proving that a new DC property can land in the current climate. Spin it all you want… the box office receipts speak louder than your nostalgia soaked what-ifs.
