If you thought James Gunn’s latest superhero film, “Superman,” would shoot to the top of the box office, you’d be wrong. It grossed $57.3 million in ticket sales its second weekend in North America alone. The movie has enchanted fans across the globe, from Japan to Jamaica. In less than two weeks, it’s already grossing an astounding $406.8 million worldwide. This breakout success arrives just as the film is about to break even, continuing to attract audiences with its character-driven narrative and high-octane set pieces.
After carrying huge momentum into its opening weekend, “Superman” plummeted 54% in its second weekend. Even with that drop, the film is still doing excellently. After three weeks in theaters, it has amassed an incredible $648 million globally. Regardless, industrial experts expect that “Superman” will keep pulling in audiences, cementing the movie’s success as a box office behemoth.
Performance of Competing Films
Other than “Superman,” it is pretty much business as usual this weekend. Ari Aster’s psychological thriller “Eddington” grossed $4.3 million at the North American box office. The film has brought alarming responses from audiences and critics, revealing the wild sensibilities of Aster’s cinematic vision.
THE HORROR FILM I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER opened to a good $13 million. It proved unsuccessful against its $18 million budget. The film’s release started off slow, but it has already generated an unexpected and polarizing response. So far, it’s got a 38% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. As Jake Coyle of The Associated Press pointed out, the film’s box office bodes poorly for its future.
“I Know What You Did Last Summer” – Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
The third contender was the new Dreamworks animated film “Smurfs,” which opened in fourth place with a $11 million take. It boomed overseas too, grossing $22.6 million from 56 foreign markets. As this debut illustrates, there is still great demand for family-friendly fare, even in a cutthroat environment.
Financial Outlook for 2025 Summer Box Office
That hasn’t prevented the overall summer box office from looking very strong in 2025, currently up 15.9% from this time last year. This bump is a big signal to the industry that theater going is back, as audiences flock back to theaters to catch these big releases. Missions in the movies — Pictures like “Superman” are at the forefront of this change. Both distributors and studios have extremely high hopes about their chances of further profitability in the weeks ahead.
Yet, despite joint escapades like “Beau Is Afraid” being crushed at the box office. Interestingly, despite carrying a $35 million production budget, it only grossed an estimated $12.4 million globally. Yet this poor performance is bound to raise questions about the newest project’s marketing strategy and how to effectively engage with future audiences.
