MW 'Superman' sees strong opening, helping power a box-office turnaround for Warner Bros. studio
By Lukas I. Alpert
After a long string of disappointments, 'Superman' is the fifth straight No. 1 film for Warner Bros., with the studio already surpassing its 2024 take
It's a bird, it's a plane ... it's Warner Bros. studio's rising fortunes.
After spending much of 2024 in the box-office doldrums, the legendary studio has scored a remarkable turnaround with five straight No. 1 hits, culminating with this weekend's smash, "Superman," which drew in $217 million worldwide.
The change in fortunes for the studio division of Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. (WBD) kicked off in April with the release of "A Minecraft Movie," which has grossed $955 million globally.
That was followed by "Sinners," the Ryan Coogler-directed vampire thriller starring Michael B. Jordan, which has brought in $366 million. "Final Destination: Bloodlines" came next, grossing $285 million worldwide, followed by "F1: The Movie," starring Brad Pitt, which has taken in $393 million globally so far.
In all, Warner Bros.' box-office receipts have been higher so far this year than for all of 2024, putting 2025 on target to be the studio's best year since at least 2019, according to box-office database the Numbers.
Last year, the Warner Bros. studio division contributed 29% to Warner Bros. Discovery's total annual revenue and 18% of its total adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. That came in a year that saw the company record a 5% decline in revenue and an 11% slide in Ebitda compared with 2023.
Warner Bros. Discovery's stock price has shot up 25% since the company announced plans in early June to spin off several of its television channels into a separate company.
On Monday, the company's stock surged 2.4% to a seven-month high, although it remains at around half the price from when WarnerMedia and Discovery Inc. merged in 2022.
"Superman" is part of the studio's revamp of its DC Studios brand. For years, Warner Bros. Discovery has struggled to find consistent success with films derived from the intellectual property of the DC Extended Universe and has lagged a distant second behind Walt Disney Co.'s $(DIS.UK)$ megafranchise, the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"Superman" cost $225 million to make, suggesting it is well on its way to making a big profit.
While Warner Bros. has achieved major hits with some DC films - most notably several Batman movies - it has also seen many considerable flops, like "Joker: Folie à Deux" and "Blue Beetle."
Earlier attempts to revive the "Superman" franchise, after a strong run in the 1970s and 1980s with films starring Christopher Reeve, had met with mixed success.
So Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav focused considerable energy toward rethinking the DC franchise and how to turn it into a consistent hit machine.
First he brought in director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran as co-chairs of DC Studios to help bring greater focus to the company's output. As the first film under the new management regime, "Superman" - which was also written and directed by Gunn - suggests that the new model may work.
"A successful Superman opening and likely solid run box office run confirms the evergreen character of DC Studios' [intellectual property] - especially in a likely glutted superhero market," Matthew Harrigan of Benchmark Equity Research wrote in a note to clients.
"More important than immediate economics for the $225M production cost movie starring David Corenswet, the favorable reception supports the outlook for a high profile queue from DC Studios including 2026's 'Supergirl' and 'Clayface,' more Batman releases, a new 'Wonder Woman' in development and a Green Lantern TV show (Lanterns) for HBO Max," he added.
Warner Bros. shares have climbed 13.6% in 2025, while Disney's stock has gained 7.7% and the S&P 500 index SPX has advanced 6.6%.
-Lukas I. Alpert
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July 14, 2025 19:50 ET (23:50 GMT)
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