“Superman” was created in 1938 by the writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster. Now, 86 years later, “Superman” premiered in theaters on July 11, 2025. It scored the third-highest opening weekend for a 2025 film, behind “A Minecraft Movie” and the live-action “Lilo & Stitch.” The movie received plenty of attention, both good and bad, from dedicated and new fans alike.
Basic Movie Premise
The main premise of the movie is that Superman is an outsider. He is constantly referred to as an alien due to his “kryptonian” heritage, and the movie primarily focuses on Superman himself coming to terms with who he is and who he wants to be. All while people like Lex Luthor, the main antagonist of the movie, hate, criticize and even try to antagonize him for it.
There’s a lot that happens in this movie, not just with Superman himself but with other characters we are introduced to, such as reporters of the Daily Planet, a fictional news outlet, and the “Justice Gang,” a group of superheroes, who all play big roles in the film.
The story is rich and eventful, with multiple storylines weaving into each other to keep audiences engaged throughout its two hour and nine minute runtime.
Public Opinion
The movie received an overall positive reaction from audiences, scoring an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as a 7.3/10 score on IMDb. The movie also earned $56.5 million on its first day alone, making it the second-highest first day earning movie of 2025.
Brian Berry, a junior at Judson High School, stated “I don’t watch a lot of DC. I wasn’t even looking forward to watching ‘Superman’, but when I did, I literally couldn’t take my eyes off it.”
Berry enjoyed multiple aspects of the movie including the acting, the effects and the blend of lighthearted humor and serious moments.
“I really liked it, actually. I was surprised, I liked every part of it,” said Berry.
Despite the mostly positive reviews, some users of IMDb expressed that the movie tried “too hard to be funny.”
Other reviews claimed this version of Superman “feels way too childish and overly comical.”
Berry, despite his overall positive feelings towards the movie, also agrees that the film had some issues.
Berry believes Superman took too much of a backseat in his own movie, claiming, “A lot of people other than Superman were there and he was just kind of dead for half the movie.”
Actors & Directors
James Gunn was in charge of directing the $225 million project. Gunn previously worked for Disney as a movie director for many of their Marvel movies, including the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise.
In more recent years, however, Gunn has become more involved with DC Studios, producing many successful projects such as “The Suicide Squad,” “Creature Commandos” and “Peacemaker.”
Gunn went with a different approach compared to what other Superman movies have done in the past. His version of Superman showed a younger, more inexperienced version of the hero. This version stands out against other movie adaptations, particularly movies with Henry Cavill as Superman, that have perceived him as a seasoned, experienced superhero.
According to the Associated Press, Gunn had promised that the film would be “a personal journey for Superman that’s entirely new.”
The actors took this idea well. In an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, Nicholas Hoult, the actor for Lex Luthor in the movie, stated his opinion on Gunn’s script. “I just love the script James [Gunn] wrote, it’s such a fresh new take on this character.” He also claims he was ”blown away by the scale and how you’re thrust into this story in a completely fresh way.”
Superman actor David Corenswet also praised Gunn on his directing skills.
Corenswet expressed that he expected “a big film like this to be sort of a machine that you feel like you’re being stuck into with a lot of green screens and tennis balls, but James, he’s like a kid making short films.”
Corenswet’s role as Superman was announced on June 27, 2023, during the filming of the movie “Twisters.” A video posted to Instagram by actor Brandon Perea shows the moment the cast found out about Corenswet’s role.
Corenswet did a lot to bring Superman to life, even taking inspiration from real-life people including his 6′ 8″, 270 pound brother-in-law.
“That’s where I sort of took the spirit of Clark. He’s this big presence, but he’s desperately trying to be as small as possible and as quiet as possible,” Corenswet claimed in an interview with Associated Press.
Rachel Brosnahan, the actor for Lois Lane in the movie, also did a lot to portray the character to the best of her abilities.
In an interview with Collider Interviews, Brosnahan stated, “There’s a couple different versions of Lois’s backstory that James [Gunn] and I talked about and explored.”
Brosnahan claimed Gunn “liked the version where her father is a military general and was raised in an environment that taught her to work hard and rise to the occasion, but also to be skeptical-to question everything.”
The actors spoke in many interviews and talk shows following the release of the film, sharing stories and showcasing the strong bond they had between each other after working on such a big project together.
Hoult praised Corenswet regarding his interpretation of the superhero on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live stating “He’s such a wonderful Superman. He’s so charismatic and emotional and he gives it such dynamism. It’s just a wonderful interpretation of the character. I’m very proud to be able to be in the movie with him as Superman because you know it’s a new Superman for a new generation and he’s done a wonderful job as that character,”
Corenswet also expressed pleasure with the production of the film on Jimmy Kimmel Live. He believed nothing had changed following his newfound fame after the movie’s release, except he’s “made all these great friends making the film.”
As of Sept. 10, 2025, Superman has a domestic box office total of about $353 million, an international box office total of $260 million, and a worldwide box office of $614 million, according to information from The Numbers. Additionally, it successfully united fans, both new and old, to look forward to the future of a full DC movie universe.