Superman Box Office Pressure Rises As Expert Says DC Has To Save Warner Bros From Going “The Way Of Fox”

A new report details the high expectations from Warner Bros. Discovery for James Gunn’s new Superman movie and the larger DC Universe. 2025 marks the year of the Man of Steel’s return to the big screen with Gunn’s Superman movie set to arrive this summer. Since Superman will set the foundation for the rest of the DCU, there are a lot of expectations for how the David Corenswet-starring film will perform across the world.

According to Puck, experts are claiming that Warner Bros. Discovery is extremely dependent on Superman’s performance through DC Studios. In a new report from Puck, the word is that the movie “has now taken on almost incalculable importance to Warner Bros. Discovery. If Warners can’t finally make the DC franchise work, there is genuine fear that the studio will go the way of Fox, which was swallowed by Disney in 2019.” According to a Warner Bros. veteran, they stated the following about David Zaslav’s hope for DC Studios in terms of Warner Bros. Discovery’s future:

An essential element of the stock price is believing that the I.P. of DC is meaningful. David bet big that they can show the world that the DC I.P. can have real value. Superman is the first movie. That will set the tone. They have a tremendous amount riding on it.

It’s crucial to remember that even though the DCU franchise has barely begun, there are a lot of factors to take into consideration when it comes to DC’s reception with the general audience. As much as Superman’s box office results will be imperative, the response from critics and audience members is also going to be more important than ever for DC Studios, especially after the last couple of years with the DCEU. While the DCEU movie timeline began with financial and fairly critical success, but it only went south for every year that the franchise existed.

As the DCEU began to suffer at the box office, in light of fans not responding to their films, it got worse for every installment that would come afterward since the audience gave up on their interest in this series of films. By the time 2023 wrapped up the DCEU franchise for good, every release that year underperformed for Warner Bros. Discovery and the now-defunct DC Films division. That is why the Superman movie release will need as good of reviews as possible, with word of mouth ideally helping fans get invested and excited for DC on the big screen again.

The DCU Superman Movie Has Already Shown Signs It Can Live Up To Its Box Office Pressure

While there is pressure for the Superman movie, the upcoming DCU release has already shown a lot of promising signs that could easily lead to great financial success. To begin with, Gunn is a huge sell for general moviegoers, especially after his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy for Marvel Studios, with each installment being a commercial hit and mostly met with strong reception. Given Gunn’s track record as a filmmaker – who is now also co-CEO of DC Studios and crucial in establishing the DCU – his role in writing, directing, and producing the movie holds some considerable promise.

One of the biggest concepts fueling the DCU timeline is this continuity’s focus on a world where many superheroes are already established in this franchise. Based on what has been shown thus far, it seems the DCU is aiming to bring an element of old-school heroism while also giving it a modern touch at the same time, which looks as though it could help Superman stand out in the current comic book movie climate. With Superman being the big icon that he is, having a film that isn’t another origin but just gets the Man of Tomorrow back into cinema also has some considerable appeal.

While Superman is primarily Clark Kent’s story, the upcoming comic book adventure will also include other famous DC superheroes, with Krypton’s last son still being early into his journey as a superhero. The Superman cast, which consists of multiple famous crime fighters, also elevates Clark’s overall arc, especially with the Man of Steel and the other heroes operating in different contexts. However, their purpose isn’t to set up spinoffs, but rather to serve as a contrast to the journey Clark will go on in Superman.

While time will tell how Superman actually does financially and critically, the marketing has so far been on a good trajectory, especially with the release of the first trailer back in December 2024. Since Gunn is still in post-production on Superman, it remains to be seen when the second trailer will be released as they get audiences more hyped for the film. But for now, the world will have to wait and see how Superman will perform this summer when Krypton’s last son flies back into theaters.