Supermanhas surpassed the Best Picture winner that it was compared to by James Gunn. Written and directed by Gunn, the first film in the new DC Universe follows Superman (David Corenswet) as he deals with the unexpected fallout of stepping into an international crisis engineered by Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), and, with assistance from Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and his superhero allies, works to regain the public’s trust.
Superman’s castalso includes Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, andThe Wire’s Wendell Pierce as Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White.
Now, after exactly one month in theaters,Supermanhas made $331 million at the domestic box office, surpassingOppenheimerat $330 million. To date, the DC film has also made $247 million internationally for a grand total of $579 million worldwide, compared to Christopher Nolan’s 2023 movie, which made $645 million internationally for a grander total of $975 million worldwide.
What Superman Surpassing Oppenheimer’s Domestic Box Office Means For The Movie
SupermansurpassingOppenheimerat the domestic box office is notable since Nolan’s blockbuster biopic was one of the biggestbox office success stories of 2023. The R-rated, three-hour historical drama defied all expectations to make nearly $1 billion at the box office against its $100 million budget, becoming the third-highest-grossing movie of the year. It also went on to win seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
It’s also notable sinceJames Gunn has comparedSupermantoOppenheimer, specifically the size of its cast. He explained that even with a sizable cast,Supermanstill remains the central figure in the story. Gunn pointed out thatOppenheimeractually features more speaking roles thanSuperman, yet the film still revolves aroundCillian Murphy’s portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer:
We’re used to seeing movies with a protagonist, and Superman is definitely the protagonist. He has his work friends and his play friends. I don’t know if the Justice Gang are his play friends or his work friends or if [the staff of] the Daily Planet are his work friends or play friends. But those are the two groups of his, his friends from different places, and just because they have insignia’s on their costumes or superpowers doesn’t mean they aren’t like any other supporting character in any movie. I think Oppenheimer has three times as many speaking roles as we do.
Our Take On Superman Surpassing Oppenheimer’s Domestic Box Office
WhileSupermanhas surpassedOppenheimerat the domestic box office, it still has a long way to go before even coming close toChristopher Nolan’s movieinternationally at $645 million, or worldwide, at $975.8 million. After a month in theaters,Supermanhas made $579 million worldwide, which, with a budget of $225 million, is only about $16.5 million above its break-even point.
Oppenheimer, on the other hand, with a smaller budget of $100 million and a bigger $975.8 million box office, made about $725.8 million above its break-even point. WhileSupermanhas surpassedOppenheimerat the domestic box office, it still has a long way to go before catching its worldwide total and matching its overall box office success.
