James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ Flops on HBO Max: Trails Black Adam, Marvel

by

Nielsen’s data confirms what many suspected that James Gunn’s Superman didn’t fly high on HBO Max.

During its first three days, the film was watched for a total of 513 million minutes. While it reached number 4 on the movies chart, it didn’t rank among the top 10 most-watched programs overall.

Compared to recent Marvel movies

By comparison, *Captain America: Brave New World* earned 750 million viewing minutes over four days, and *Thunderbolts* reached 702 million minutes in five days. Both films ranked on Nielsen’s overall and movie charts.

Even though it’s a popular title, *Superman* currently averages 171 million minutes of viewing time each day, which is a bit lower than the 187 million minutes watched daily for *Captain America: Brave New World*.

As a fan following the box office, it seemed like *Superman*’s strong opening weekend – especially since it launched on a Friday – probably dipped pretty quickly during the week. That means the initial numbers Nielsen reported after just three days were likely higher than the overall average, and it probably brought the final total closer to what *Thunderbolts* earned.

Superman Flops Harder Than Black Adam

What’s particularly noteworthy, and continues to be a source of awkwardness for James Gunn’s newly established DC Universe, is that *Superman* actually underperformed compared to *Black Adam* – a movie that was already considered a failure when Gunn took charge of DC Studios.

According to Nielsen, *Black Adam* was streamed for a total of 632 million minutes during its first three days on HBO Max. This is a surprisingly strong start, even better than *Superman*’s debut, despite the film receiving some negative attention surrounding Dwayne Johnson’s involvement.

James Gunn became co-head of DC Studios near the end of 2022, coinciding with disappointing box office numbers for the film *Black Adam*. However, *Black Adam* performed well when released for streaming, even surpassing the initial streaming numbers for Gunn’s new *Superman* movie (and continuing to be popular on Netflix). This suggests that audience enthusiasm has waned since Gunn took charge.

A Troubling Trend For Gunn’s DCU

The weak streaming turnout adds to Gunn’s recent streak of failures.

Viewership for *Peacemaker* dropped almost 40% during its second season, and *Creature Commandos* didn’t register any audience on Nielsen’s charts. As a result, *Peacemaker* has been canceled and won’t be returning for a third season.

Now Superman follows with lower engagement than Black Adam, a movie Gunn’s camp once mocked as a flop.

Despite Dwayne Johnson claiming his film *Black Adam* was profitable, recent news indicates James Gunn’s *Superman* didn’t perform well financially.

As a fan, it looks like excitement for Gunn’s *Superman* movie really spiked quickly at first, but then dropped off pretty fast. It’s a shame, because Warner Bros. Discovery was probably hoping this would be a huge hit and a strong foundation for their new DC Universe.

After a lackluster performance in theaters (earning $615 million, only slightly more than Dwayne Johnson’s *Black Adam* outside of China) and now weak streaming numbers, *Superman* isn’t looking like a fresh start. Instead, it suggests James Gunn’s planned revitalization of DC might be losing momentum.

James Gunn’s *Superman* won’t have a direct sequel. Instead, the next film will be titled *Man of Tomorrow*, and it seems to focus more on Lex Luthor, a character Gunn has personally expressed feeling a stronger connection to than Superman himself.

Insiders have told us Gunn is out with the sale of WBD.

Mike De Luca and Warner Bros. have set a release date for the next *Minecraft* movie just two weeks after James Gunn’s *Superman* sequel, *Man of Tomorrow*, arrives in theaters in the summer of 2027.

Read More

2025-10-17 05:32