James Gunn Addresses SUPERMAN’s International Box Office Struggles: “There’s Anti-American Sentiment Around the World Now”
James Gunn’s Superman has been soaring at the domestic box office, but overseas audiences aren’t showing quite the same enthusiasm. While the DCU reboot is holding strong in the U.S., its international performance has been noticeably softer, and Gunn has some thoughts on why.
The film dominated the global box office for a second weekend, pulling in $102.45 million, with $57.3 million from North America and $45.2 million from international markets. That brings its worldwide total to $406.8 million so far.
Of that, a hefty $236 million comes from domestic audiences, while the rest of the world accounts for $171 million. Clearly, the global audience isn’t embracing Superman on the same level as U.S. fans.
Speaking with Rolling Stone, Gunn addressed the box office disparity and broke down the factors he believes are at play.
“We’re definitely performing better domestically than we are internationally, but internationally is also rising and having really good weekday numbers in the same way we are. So obviously the word of mouth is very positive both here and everywhere else.
“Which is the thing that we needed to do the most. At the same time, there are certain countries in which it’s really performing well. Brazil and the U.K.”
Gunn also pointed out that Superman doesn’t carry the same global recognition as some other superheroes.
“Superman is not a known commodity in some places. He is not a big known superhero in some places like Batman is. That affects things. And it also affects things that we have a certain amount of anti-American sentiment around the world right now. It isn’t really helping us.
“So I think it’s just a matter of letting something grow. But again, for us, everything’s been a total win. Having the movie come out and be something that has been embraced by people everywhere — this is just the seed of the tree that Peter and I have been watering for the past three years. So to be able to have it start off so positively has been incredibly overwhelming.”
The idea that Superman is viewed as a symbol of American ideals isn’t new, and in some international markets, that’s been a hurdle.
Despite its slower overseas growth, analysts predict that Superman will ultimately finish its theatrical run in the $640 million to $700 million range. Not a bad start for the new DCU and a promising sign for what James Gunn and Peter Safran have planned next.