'Superman' Blows Past Zack Snyder's 'Man of Steel'

Newsweek

5 days ago

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Is "Superman" the better movie, or is 2013's "Man of Steel" superior? You don't have to look far to find plenty of heated and often unfriendly debate on the subject online.
But while the answer to which film is better is subjective, on Tuesday Forbes reported on a purely objective fact: the domestic box office earnings for "Superman" have just passed those for "Man of Steel," making the former movie the highest domestic grossing solo Superman film ever.
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Of course, as Forbes notes, there are some caveats. On one hand there is the matter of inflation. "Man of Steel" made $291 million in 2013 and while "Superman" has passed that number, that $291 million in 2013 would be $407 million today.
David Corenswet in "Superman".
David Corenswet in "Superman".
Warner Bros
And on the other hand while "Superman" may be leaping tall buildings domestically, internationally its numbers remain soft. While "Man of Steel" ended its theatrical run earning $379 million overseas, "Superman" is only at $214 million internationally.
So while "Superman" may have defeated "Man of Steel" domestically, Forbes argues that it's unlikely James Gunn's film is going overtake Zack Snyder's overall box office once the current theatrical run ends.
As far as why "Superman" is having a much weaker time overseas than its 2013 counterpart, Gunn has offered a couple of possible reasons.
He's argued that Superman isn't as much of a "known commodity" across the globe, though that begs the question of why "Man of Steel" did so well.
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The DC Studios co-head has also explained that he believes the global political situation is impacting ticket sales.
"It also affects things that we have a certain amount of anti-American sentiment around the world right now," Gunn said. "It isn't really helping us."
Regardless of how "Superman" plays out at the box office, critically it's been a hit with reviewers and fans. The film currently enjoys an 83% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 91% audience score.
"Superman" is currently playing in theaters. The film is written and directed by James Gunn. "Superman" stars David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, and Isabela Merced.
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