James Gunn isn’t just rebooting Superman, he’s rewriting the record books, too. With Superman (2025) officially flying past $217 million globally after its opening weekend, the DCU boss has now flown his way to #5 on the all-time list of highest-grossing superhero movie directors.
Yes, even before Superman hit cinemas, people were already sharpening their knives, comparing it to Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel and tossing around numbers like $700 million and $1 billion as benchmarks for “success.” No pressure, right? But Gunn’s reboot isn’t just holding steady, but it’s punching well above its weight too.
Superman (2025) stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent, with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult bringing some bald menace as Lex Luthor. It opened with a strong $22.5 million in Thursday previews and climbed to $56.5 million by Friday. Add another $40 million from international markets, and it cruised past early estimates to reach $96.5 million before the weekend had even wrapped. By Sunday, it officially clocked in at $217 million globally, beating projections and becoming the second biggest domestic opening of the year.
For Warner Bros., this is a win they desperately needed—and a sign they backed the right guy. Gunn now sits behind only the Russo Brothers ($6.7 billion), Jon Watts ($3.9 billion), Sam Raimi ($3.463 billion) and Joss Whedon ($2.9 billion, and $3.585 billion if you count Justice League 2017) when it comes to superhero box office haul. His current total is $2.87 billion, which puts him just a whisper away from overtaking Whedon.
Here’s a breakdown of Gunn’s superhero resume so far:
Super (2010): $593,933
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014): $773 million
Guardians Vol. 2 (2017): $869 million
The Suicide Squad (2021): $168.7 million (hey, it was the pandemic)
Guardians Vol. 3 (2023): $845.6 million
Superman (2025): $217 million and counting
And the best part is this isn’t even peak Gunn. If Superman continues its climb, and future DCU entries connect with audiences, he might give the Russo Brothers a run for their money. Granted, overtaking Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War is no small task, but Gunn’s now got the keys to the whole DC kingdom.
Think about that. The guy who once made a talking raccoon and a tree into household names is now shaping the future of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of DC’s heavy hitters. You can argue all you want about tone, style, or whether The Suicide Squad deserved more love, but you can’t argue with nearly $3 billion in box office receipts.
| Rank | Director(s) | Approx. Total | Notable Films |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russo Brothers | $6.7 billion | Endgame, Infinity War |
| 2 | Jon Watts | $3.9 billion | MCU Spider-Man Trilogy |
| 3 | Sam Raimi | $3.463 billion | Spider-Man Trilogy, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness |
| 4 | Joss Whedon | $2.96 billion | Avengers 1 & 2 |
| 5 | James Gunn | $2.87 billion | Guardians Trilogy, Superman |
| 6 | Christopher Nolan | $2.46 billion | Dark Knight Trilogy |
So, is James Gunn the future of superhero movies? Or is he just on a hot streak? Either way, one thing’s clear—he’s not just playing in the league anymore. He’s changing the scoreboard.
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What about Jon Watts and Sam Raimi?
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