James Gunn’s Superman (2025) movie is flying high, and so is its budget, which is reported to be $225 million (via The Wrap) – that’s around the same amount as Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel (2013). This means the upcoming DC film will need to hit at least $500 million globally just to break even.
A few weeks ago, we broke down why Gunn’s Superman would need to soar past $700 million to truly outperform Man of Steel (which earned $668 million back in 2013). But now, we’ve got a clearer picture of just how expensive this comeback really is.
According to the report, Warner Bros. has been keeping the film’s budget under lock and key. It was only when an Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit filing revealed production costs around $360 million (before rebates) that fans became concerned. Gunn was quick to downplay that figure, but now we know: the official production budget sits at $225 million. And that’s before you factor in a massive global marketing campaign.
Superman (2025), of course, isn’t the most expensive Superman movie ever made. Superman Returns cost $223 million, and Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel cost around $225–258 million. Its sequel, Batman v Superman, also had a budget of $250–325 million.
When you consider all those numbers, Gunn’s Superman isn’t that pricey. However, unlike Man of Steel and Batman v Superman, which had a long list of A-listers, Gunn’s film has a cast of lesser-known actors. That tells us most of that $225M probably went into production, which includes sets, big CGI battles, and locations.
For perspective, here’s how much the other Superman movies cost:
Superman: The Movie (1978): $55 million
Superman II (1980): $54 million
Superman III (1983): $39 million
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987): $17 million
Superman Returns (2006): $223 million
Man of Steel (2013): $225–258 million
Batman v Superman (2016): $250–325 million
If Gunn’s Superman is aiming to be the new gold standard for DC Studios, it’s certainly priced like it. But will audiences show up for David Corenswet in the red cape the same way they did for Cavill and Christopher Reeve?
Discussion about this post