James Gunn’s ‘Summer Of Superman’ Canceled: How Was It Profitable?

Warner Bros. has unfortunately ended its “Summer of Superman” marketing campaign, leaving many wondering why they stopped promoting the film if it was reportedly making money.

Several sources, including my own contacts, Variety, and Forbes, estimated the budget for the Superman movie to be about $350 million.

Okay, so things just got weird. After weeks of everyone agreeing this film flopped, a new opinion piece over at Forbes is claiming it actually made money. Honestly, Forbes is starting to feel a lot like ComicBookMovie these days – it seems like anyone can post their thoughts, regardless of whether they’re backed up by facts. I’m really questioning the sourcing here.

Studios don’t release movies in theaters to lose money

Even if Superman made extra money from sources like merchandise, movie studios don’t create big-budget films simply to cover their costs from anything besides ticket sales.

The theatrical run is the signal of audience interest. And clearly, audiences weren’t into it.

Dwayne Johnson tried the same spin with Black Adam. Oh, the irony! How’d that work out?

If James Gunn’s fans are right about how great Superman is, Warner Bros. would have immediately started planning another Superman movie for summer 2027.

They didn’t.

WB chooses Minecraft over Superman

Instead, the same studio scheduled the Minecraft sequel only two weeks after Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow.

The new Minecraft movie will receive the same high-quality treatment as a major blockbuster film – including premium screens, IMAX showings, and Dolby Cinema experiences. And that’s before even considering how it will perform against other summer movies in 2027.

Quick, somebody go ask Gunn on Threads why WB did that…

Superman wasn’t profitable

Studios only put two of their own movie series head-to-head when one is doing well and the other is struggling.

It’s pretty clear that the recent Superman movie didn’t make the money Warner Bros. hoped for. But Minecraft? That was a huge success, and they’re eager to capitalize on that momentum with another big summer release! I can see why they’re focusing on what works.

The “Summer of Superman” is officially over.

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2025-12-01 00:01