James Gunn Fires Back at Superman Budget Talk as Box Office Slows

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James Gunn is refuting allegations concerning Superman’s production cost and profitability threshold, given the movie’s declining box office performance.

Prior to getting started, it’s plausible that Gunn and Warner Bros. Discovery (led by Zaslav) might consider Superman as their “own version of Batman Begins,” referring to a film that serves as the base for a new DCU. In 2005, Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins grossed $375 million worldwide, paving the way for The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, each surpassing $1 billion. If this is the case for Gunn’s Superman, it would follow a series of DCU failures that haven’t seen success since 2018’s Aquaman.

Despite Superman’s anticipated earnings falling short of Gunn’s initial Guardians film at Marvel, which earned over $773 million in 2014, it should be noted that Gunn benefited from a robust Marvel Cinematic Universe during that period.

What does James Gunn say about the Superman budget? Denies $650M break-even claim

On the platform called Threads, a fan inquired from Gunn about a common rumor suggesting that Superman would require an earnings of approximately $650 million to reach financial equilibrium.

Gunn replied:

It’s completely untrue. A person who claims such a thing lacks knowledge about the film industry. To produce a debut film in a franchise that requires such high profits just to break even, would be a foolish decision.

Reported Budgets Tell a Different Story

In June, it was noted by THR that the estimated budget for ‘Superman’, as stated in official documents submitted to the Ohio government, was approximately $363.8 million. At the time, Gunn dismissed this figure, but a seasoned financier told THR that such a number wasn’t inaccurate.

Washington D.C.’s estimate of the budget, considering tax incentives, is approximately $225 million. Nevertheless, insiders at The Hollywood Reporter suggest marketing costs could reach an astounding $200 million – which exceeds the usual $150 million for a summer blockbuster by a large margin. This means that if these expenses materialize, the total cost will join the exclusive group of productions costing over $400 million.

Our Earlier Report

Earlier, I shared that a source from Hollywood’s Comic-Con event mentioned that the budget for the upcoming Superman movie has exceeded an estimated $350 million primarily due to reshoots. This aligns with the information revealed in Ohio’s filing. If we follow the industry standard of multiplying the production cost by 2.5 to make a profit, this suggests that the movie would need to earn approximately $875 million just to break even. However, director James Gunn has refuted claims that the budget is as high as $650 million.

Current Box Office Numbers

By the end of last Friday, it was reported that “Superman” had amassed a global total of $569,543,139. Out of this sum, $325,643,139 was generated from domestic theaters and another $243,900,000 was earned from international markets. Interestingly, the earnings from foreign markets for “Superman” were lower than the over $400 million that “The Batman” made, which contributed significantly to its impressive worldwide total of over $772 million.

Based on its current progress, it’s likely that Gunn’s Superman might end up earning approximately $630 million. However, this figure is significantly lower than the projected breakeven point of around $350 million, and even stretching to $400 million for production costs.

That number also comes up short of Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, without even counting inflation.

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2025-08-10 09:07