Director Zack Snyder recently hit the like button on Instagram, and, just as you would expect, his followers did the rest. A fan post shared on the social media platform highlighted the box office numbers of both 2013’s Man of Steel and James Gunn’s Superman (2025). And, of course, once Snyder’s name appeared in the “liked by” section, the real fights between the two fan groups began.
Superman (2025), starring David Corenswet, completed its theatrical run around two months ago now. It pulled in a strong $615.2 million worldwide, according to The Numbers. U.S. audiences showed bought the most tickets with a $354 million box office haul, landing it as the 73rd highest-grossing movie in domestic history (pretty impressive, right?). Overseas viewers, however, contributed only $262 million, which is a noticeable gap from the domestic total (but still impressive for a franchise relaunch).
With a reported production budget of $225 million, Superman needed to clear round about $450 to 562 million globally to be considered a financial success (although James Gunn disputes those numbers). Thankfully, it soared past that target, leaving Warner Bros. Discovery smiling with projected theatrical profits of about $125 million. That probably explains why the studio has fast-tracked a sequel, Man of Tomorrow, for next year, aiming for a July 9, 2027 release date.
Of course, fans instantly compared the film to the previous live-action Superman movie release. Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel, directed by Zack Snyder and produced by Christopher Nolan, arrived in 2013 and marked the beginning of the darker and more serious DCEU. In its day, the film earned $670.1 million at the global box office with $291 million domestic and $379.1 million international. Ticket prices were lower in 2013, too, which means more people actually left their homes and went to see it during its run. That viral fan post Snyder liked pointed out the difference in attendance quite dramatically: around 82.4 million tickets sold for Man of Steel compared to about 36.3 million for Superman.
Of course, audiences attended movie theaters more often back then, but inflation also changes the picture. When adjusted for today’s ticketing climate, Man of Steel jumps to an estimated $798.2 million worldwide, with some analysts placing it even higher at roughly $868.2 million. Despite that bigger theoretical number, reports at the time suggested only $42.7 million profit for Warner Bros. Although that seems to make less sense when you think about it.
Truthfully, seeing two eras of Superman placed side by side raises an important question: what do audiences look for in a live-action Superman movie? On the one hand, Cavill delivered a brooding alien still figuring out his place. On the other, Corenswet enters as a hopeful protector right from the start. Very different tones, very different expectations, very different cinematic universes and very different audiences. Where Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel was marketed towards adults and serious comic book collectors, James Gunn’s Superman is clearly aimed at a younger audience to sell toys and align the character more with the MCU’s tone and style.
You might prefer the one who throws deadly punches through skyscrapers or the one trying to save a squirrel from a creature stomping through Metropolis. Either way, both films left their mark on the franchise and the character. Snyder’s like may seem small to some, but fans took it as a victory smile.
And you can bet that as long as Superman keeps flying, people will argue about which version actually rules.
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