Superman is often called upon to save the world from evildoers, but in his latest big-screen incarnation, he is also being asked to swoop in and save a franchise.
James Gunn’s Superman, which opened in theaters worldwide last week, is a reboot aimed at relaunching the so-called DC Universe of comic book-based superhero movies, which also features Wonder Woman and Batman.
The celluloid efforts of Warner Bros and DC Studios have been widely eclipsed by Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe — the world of Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther and the Fantastic Four, who are getting their own reboot later this month.
Photo: AFP
“Warner Bros has invested a lot of energy and money in trying to refocus and renew DC Studios, and this is going to be the big release from that,” Franchise Entertainment Research analyst David A. Gross said.
The heavy task falls on the shoulders of Gunn, the writer-director who won praise from fans of the genre with Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy.
Gunn has shrugged off the high stakes surrounding the movie’s box office success.
“Is there something riding on it? Yeah, but it’s not as big as people make it out to be,” he told GQ Magazine. “They hear these numbers that the movie’s only going to be successful if it makes US$700 million or something, and it’s just complete and utter nonsense.”
The hype around the movie is real — the White House even superimposed US President Donald Trump onto one of the movie’s official posters with the caption “THE SYMBOL OF HOPE. TRUTH. JUSTICE. THE AMERICAN WAY. SUPERMAN TRUMP.”
Warner Bros hopes the DC Universe can catch up with Marvel, which — after years of huge successes with the Avengers movies — has seen more muted box office returns with the recent Thunderbolts and Captain America: Brave New World.
Gross said that superhero films hit a peak right before the COVID-19 pandemic, with box office earnings and audience enthusiasm waning ever since that time.
“It’s really a diminished genre,” Gross said.
However, the analyst said early buzz for Superman was “really good.” The film stars up-and-comer David Corenswet as the new Superman/Clark Kent, with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star Rachel Brosnahan playing love interest Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as archvillain Lex Luthor.
The story follows the Man of Steel coming to terms with his alien identity as he finds his place in the human world.
The supporting cast is a selection of other DC Comics characters, from the peacekeeping Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) — who is scheduled to reprise the role in upcoming TV series Lanterns — to the mace-wielding Hawkgirl.
However, DC Studios needs to shake off a reputation for producing mediocre films that did not score well with audiences.
The last round of DC Extended Universe films included the well-liked Wonder Woman (2017) starring Gal Gadot — but also box office flops like Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) and the under-performing Aquaman sequel with Jason Momoa.
“The success was mixed, and they were spending a lot of money on some of the new spinoff characters who were not working particularly well,” Gross said, citing 2021’s The Suicide Squad — directed by Gunn — as an example.
The last films featuring Superman, starring Henry Cavill and directed by Snyder, were relatively successful for Warner Bros until Justice League — DC’s effort at recreating the Avengers vibe — which lost millions of dollars.
Right-wing pundits have criticized Superman’s specific characterization as an immigrant, saying the superhero had become “woke.”
Gunn addressed the criticism, telling The Times newspaper that “Superman is the story of America,” with the character reflecting those who “came from other places and populated the country.”
“I’m telling a story about a guy who is uniquely good, and that feels needed now,” he added.
Ultimately, time would soon tell if Corenswet’s chiseled looks and Gunn’s directorial vision would be the superpowers that DC Studios need — or prove to be its Kryptonite.
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