James Gunn Thinks ‘Anti-American Sentiment’ Is Hurting ‘Superman’ Abroad

James Gunn has a brand new Superman movie out—maybe you’ve heard of it? The DC hero’s newest cinematic journey, the primary beneath DC Studios’ Gunn-led period, is a box-office hit and already has followers dreaming of sequels and spin-offs. However one notable quirk of these ticket gross sales is that Superman is doing higher domestically than it’s internationally, regardless of its seemingly broad enchantment as a Hollywood superhero film.

Earlier this week, Variety reported that whereas Superman‘s numbers are spectacular, incomes over $400 million to this point, “turnout stays softer than anticipated on the worldwide field workplace.” The commerce famous Warner Bros. and DC are relying on “outsized world enchantment” to launch this new period of DC media. Naturally, Gunn himself is on the nexus of all this, and he was requested about it in a current Rolling Stone interview.

“We’re positively performing higher domestically than we’re internationally, however internationally can be rising and having actually good weekday numbers in the identical approach we’re. So clearly the phrase of mouth could be very constructive each right here and in every single place else. Which is the factor that we would have liked to do essentially the most. On the similar time, there are specific international locations wherein it’s actually performing properly. Brazil and the U.Ok.,” Gunn advised the journal.

And, what’s extra, he has some ideas about why audiences abroad won’t be dashing out to see his film for the time being.

“Superman will not be a recognized commodity in some locations. He’s not a giant recognized superhero in some locations like Batman is. That impacts issues. And it additionally impacts issues that we’ve a certain quantity of anti-American sentiment around the globe proper now. It isn’t actually serving to us,” Gunn mentioned. “So I feel it’s only a matter of letting one thing develop. However once more, for us, every little thing’s been a complete win. Having the film come out and be one thing that has been embraced by individuals in every single place—that is simply the seed of the tree that Peter [Safran, co-head of DC Studios] and I’ve been watering for the previous three years. So to have the ability to have it begin off so positively has been extremely overwhelming.”

American popular culture being overshadowed by American politics—that sounds about proper given the current climate of things. Maybe the tide can have turned forward of Supergirl‘s launch in June 2026?

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