As the release of James Gunn’s eagerly awaited Superman approaches, marking the inception of his and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe for Warner Bros., the director has addressed the prevailing expectations surrounding box office performance. In an interview featured in GQ’s cover story on David Corenswet, the actor stepping into the role of Clark Kent/Superman, Gunn remarked, “it doesn’t need to be as big of a situation as people are saying.”
Gunn highlighted the pressure to succeed amid a growing sentiment of “superhero fatigue” in recent years. He stated, “This is not the riskiest endeavor in the world. Is there something riding on it? Yeah, but it’s not as big as people make it out to be. They hear these numbers that the movie’s only going to be successful if it makes $700 million or something and it’s just complete and utter nonsense. It doesn’t need to be as big of a situation as people are saying.”
Despite his efforts to temper expectations for Superman, the film is still set to make a significant box office impact, especially given its substantial budget. According to The Hollywood Reporter, DC has estimated the net production costs for the superhero film to be $225 million after factoring in incentives and tax breaks, excluding marketing expenses, which could reach up to $200 million.
The storyline explores a younger Clark Kent as he navigates his Kryptonian heritage alongside his human upbringing while working as a reporter in Metropolis. The film, featuring Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult, is slated for release on July 11.
Gunn has been candid about the challenges facing the film industry, particularly with superhero films. Several recent releases, including The Flash, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, The Marvels, and Madame Web, have underperformed, contributing to the notion of “superhero fatigue.” However, Gunn pointed out that this fatigue is not solely to blame, as factors such as unfinished scripts and irrelevant cameos have also played a role in the struggles at the box office.
