Key Insights

• Film Success: Superman has been well-received, earning over $600 million globally.
• Director’s Relief: James Gunn expressed immense relief and excitement about the film’s success.
• Creative Freedom: The success allows Gunn to explore new stories within the DC universe.
• Upcoming Releases: Superman will be available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on September 23.

Superman may not be the billion-dollar blockbuster some hoped it would be, but the first movie of the DCU has been a success with critics and audiences and looks to end its theatrical run with over $600 million worldwide. During an appearance on the Crew Call with Anthony D’Alessandro podcast, DC Studios co-CEO and Superman writer/director James Gunn was asked if he was relieved that the film had succeeded.

“That’s all it is, it’s just an enormous sense of relief,” Gunn said. “It’s relief, and then followed very quickly by excitement. Because Superman in some ways was the proof of concept. It was so, so hard, in the same way that Guardians [of the Galaxy] was so, so hard. Once you’re in the groove, you realize, ‘Oh, this is what works, this is what doesn’t, this is where we can go with this.’“

Gunn continued, “It means now we have the freedom to tell these other stories in a way that’s really exciting. Now, I can just be creative and I don’t have to be as concerned with the life and death of the DC brand as I was a month and a half ago. I feel really embraced by the audience. My feeling is that the movie spoke to people, but it also spoke to people because there was a reason for its existence. There was this message of kindness that spoke to people.“

Prior to the release of Superman, Gunn pushed back on those who felt that the film had to be a home run to succeed. “People may say, ‘It’s gotta be a home run, nothing else.’ I’m like, ‘No, I’d be very happy with a double,’” Gunn said. “F*****g Iron Man wasn’t the be-all and end-all. It wasn’t Avatar. We are doing something that’s a piece of the puzzle. It’s not the puzzle itself. We have Peacemaker, we have Supergirl, and what we want to do is make a movie that people love; they feel connected to the characters. It’s just this one movie. It’s not everything.“

Superman is already available on Digital and will be released on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on September 23. You can check out the (very different) reviews from our own Chris Bumbray and Tyler Nichols, and don’t forget to let us know what you thought of the film as well!