New Report Reveals James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ Lost Money Like Many Suspected
A report is cutting through the alleged studio spin and giving the world real numbers related to Superman’s box office performance and disputed budget. In short, they aren’t great and bring the perspective down to earth.
RELATED: ‘Supergirl’ Writer Ana Nogueira Does Not Understand The Character’s “Sunny” Optimistic Past
Forbes reveals the cost of the film, including production and marketing expenses, as well as the split with theaters. Citing Variety, they note, “Superman had a production budget of $225 million plus a worldwide marketing budget of $125 million.”
Forbes continues, “Given that films generally split their ticket sales 50-50 with theater owners, this means that Superman’s theatrical net equates to nearly $308 million. The amount, of course, does not reflect any residuals that are being paid out or other miscellaneous expenses associated with the film.”
They add, “Even going with the $308 million before taking the other expenses into account, Superman’s net falls below the $350 million Warner Bros. spent on the production of the film and marketing.” Saying that, they also stress the film’s money earned from on-demand video and streaming, licensed merchandise, and “other revenue streams” before the numbers are final.
Still, this news contradicts the widely circulated reports coming from an unnamed source, not Warner Bros., of $125M in profit for Superman. Additionally, it will be harder for them to make money on merchandising when the figures and toys by McFarlane Toys and Super Powers are already 50 percent off in Target’s clearance section.
Superman also didn’t break even, as it would’ve needed at least a gross of $900M. Nevertheless, Peacemaker is streaming on HBO Max, Supergirl is due out next summer, Lanterns is on the horizon, and the Superman Saga is already set to continue with a sequel of sorts, Man of Tomorrow.
Scheduled for 2027, the follow-up might have more to do with Lex Luthor than the Kryptonian it’s named after. Even if that isn’t what fans want, that is the least of Warner and DC’s worries right now, between the law of diminishing returns and rising dissatisfaction with James Gunn’s vision/agenda.
