UPDATE: Things looked much better for “Superman” yesterday as it racked up a $38M Saturday. It’s now projected for a $120M+ weekend. However, those international numbers are looking rather bleak ($95M).
EARLIER: James Gunn’s “Superman” has officially landed in theaters, and the early numbers are in: $32M on Friday, not including previews, with a projected $115M domestic haul by the end of the weekend. It’s the expected opening — just shy of the $116M debut of Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel” back in 2013. Interestingly, both films share the same A- CinemaScore, suggesting a similar audience reaction.
I had the chance to review the film earlier this week, and my takeaway was this: Gunn clearly set out to reboot the DC Universe with heart, humor, and hope. What he’s delivered instead is a well-meaning, watchable film — not a disaster, not a triumph, just a movie that can’t quite figure out what it wants to be.
There’s a sincerity to it that’s hard to dismiss. You can feel Gunn reaching for something optimistic, something lighter. Scenes unfold with little consequence, conflicts come and go, and the story struggles to find any real momentum. It playfully felt more like a Saturday morning cartoon than a fully developed film.
That’s just one take. Now we want yours. It’s been 72 hours since previews began. Did “Superman” work for you? Is Gunn’s vision the fresh start DC needed, or another swing that doesn’t quite connect?
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