Superman got ghosted by the world, and Donald Trump might be the reason: Why James Gun thinks ‘The Man of Steel is not everyone's hero'
'Superman is not a known commodity in some places. He's not as big as Batman in some countries, and that affects things,' Gunn told Rolling Stone, responding to why the film isn't quite landing with global audiences like it did in the U.S.
Also read: Is the new Superman movie 'too woke' or just true to its origins?
Globally, Superman made around $173 million, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. The numbers have been dropping since, and James Gunn seems to think it's the 'anti-American' wave dragging the film down. 'We have a certain amount of anti-American sentiment around the world right now. It isn't really helping us,' he told Rolling Stone in a recent interview.
Also read: Superman: James Gunn's idea of an India-coded country is regressive and riddled with stereotypes; the Man of Steel wouldn't stand for it
The film stars Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, and has received glowing reviews from critics. But let's be honest, without fan-favourite Henry Cavill, some slowdown was inevitable. Still, Gunn gambled with a fresh face in David Corenswet and expected the world to instantly buy in. Didn't exactly pan out. And his recent statement has the internet asking, did Trump's global PR mess play a part? Since his return as the 47th president, he's withdrawn the U.S. from treaties and made trade and tariff moves that were scrutinised globally. Pew Research's latest says global sentiment towards the U.S. has dropped badly in Trump's second term, but whether that's affecting moviegoers is still up for debate.
That said, Gunn is still hopeful. It's day 12 of Superman in theatres, already up against Fantastic Four, and he's still keeping the faith. 'We're doing better domestically, but international numbers are starting to rise too. Weekday numbers have been solid. Word of mouth is working,' he said. 'There are countries where it's actually performing well, like Brazil and the U.K.'
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