Weekend Box Office: Superman scores a $122 million opening

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a box office hit — and a strong start for James Gunn’s new DCU, with Superman opening to a solid $122 million (a touch more than we predicted earlier this week).

This marks the second-biggest opening of James Gunn’s career, trailing only the $146.5 million debut of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. It’s also the second-highest opening ever for a Superman film, behind Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which launched with a massive $166 million in 2016. It tops the $116.6 million earned by Man of Steel in 2013, but that comes with a big caveat: when adjusted for inflation, Zack Snyder’s film still edges out Gunn’s.

That said, the industry has changed a lot since then, and Superman’s $122 million launch marks the third-biggest opening of the year, behind Lilo & Stitch and A Minecraft Movie. It easily outperformed both of Marvel’s underwhelming releases this year, towering over Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts.

Of course, the big question now is: how will Superman hold up in week two? Zack Snyder’s Superman films had strong openings but began to falter in their second weekends. Gunn’s version received an A-minus CinemaScore, which is solid. By comparison, Jurassic World: Rebirth earned only a B and lost 57% of its audience in its second frame, grossing $40 million en route to a $232 million total. That’s not a terrible drop (anything over 60% is considered troubling), but it also suggests audiences aren’t exactly whipped into a frenzy.

F1 pulled into third place with $12.39 million and a $136 million total. It should finish around $160 million domestically. Internationally, its total sits just below $400 million, making it the only global blockbuster ever produced by Apple Original Films — which bodes well for its eventual streaming debut.

How to Train Your Dragon, which hits digital retailers this week, continues to draw family audiences, earning $7.8 million for a $239 million domestic total (with a sequel on the way for 2027). Meanwhile, Pixar’s Elio continues to land with a thud, making just $3.9 million this weekend for a $63 million total — arguably the biggest box office flop in Pixar history.

28 Years Later wasn’t far behind, with $2.72 million for a disappointing $65.7 million total. While the film will ultimately turn a profit thanks to its modest budget and international gross, Sony is no doubt waiting on the January release of the sequel, The Bone Temple, before greenlighting a third installment.

Lilo & Stitch remains the summer’s biggest hit, adding another $2.7 million to reach $414 million domestically. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning earned $1.45 million this weekend for a $194 million total. Paramount will likely keep it in theaters until it crosses the $200 million milestone. Internationally, it’s done even better, with a global total poised to break $600 million this weekend.

Blumhouse’s flop M3GAN 2.0 made a modest $1.35 million for a disastrous $22 million total — less than a quarter of what the original earned. Finally, A24’s Materialists rounded out the top 10 with $720K for a decent (though unspectacular) $35.1 million total.

Next weekend should be another easy win for Superman, with only the I Know What You Did Last Summer reboot/sequel and A24’s Eddington opening wide.

Do you think it can hold 50% in its second weekend? Let us know in the comments!

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