James Gunn has addressed the international box office performance of Superman and the alleged "anti-American sentiment" surrounding the film.
While the DCU movie has been doing very well at the domestic box office, the international numbers have been tepid, especially in some of the key countries that were expected to perform better. Nevertheless, the film's box office is still being seen as a winner for DC Studios as they launch the new DCU franchise, and it is a promising sign that audiences will embrace their future slate.
Does James Gunn Think There is "Anti-American Sentiment" Around Superman?
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Gunn acknowledged that there might be "anti-American sentiment" around the character of Superman, and it has potentially affected its international box office.
"Superman is not a known commodity in some places. He is not a big, known superhero in some places like Batman is. That affects things. And it also affects things that we have a certain amount of anti-American sentiment around the world right now. It isn't really helping us," he said.
Despite the underwhelming international numbers, Gunn is still hopeful that the film's box office will continue to do well, and there are still other countries that have shown support for the Man of Steel.
"We're definitely performing better domestically than we are internationally, but internationally is also rising and having really good weekday numbers in the same way we are," he said.
"So obviously, the word of mouth is very positive both here and everywhere else, which is the thing that we needed to do the most. At the same time, there are certain countries in which it’s really performing well: Brazil and the U.K."
How is Superman's Box Office Performance So Far?
According to Box Office Mojo, Superman has grossed around $426.3 million worldwide as of Wednesday, July 23.
The majority of the film's box office numbers came from domestic, which has a total gross of $253 million, while the international gross is estimated at around $173 million. The numbers will likely grow since the film is still showing in many theaters worldwide despite the competition.
According to reports, the film may need to gross $500 million to be called profitable, while it needs to gross $700 million to be officially called a major box office success.
With the arrival of The Fantastic Four: First Steps in theaters this week, fans are wondering how it will affect the box office growth of Superman. For now, let's wait and see.
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