T he immense pressure on the box office performance of James Gunn's Superman has not exactly been a secret. A DC franchise reboot has been in the works now for two years – through the memorable flops of the final four DCEU titles that were released in 2023 – and the latest movie about the last son of Krypton was given the responsibility of getting audiences around the globe excited about what's in the works for DC Studios' nascent DC Universe.

David Corenswet takes flight as the Man of Steel in the director James Gunn's "Superman."

"Superman" soared into theaters this weekend, snapping up an estimated $122 million in domestic ticket sales and launching a new era of DC superhero flicks.

James Gunn's tentpole appears to be succeeding in rebooting the Warner Bros.-owned DC and its most prized superhero franchise. Elsewhere, 'Jurassic World Rebirth' bites off a huge $500 million globally.

An A-lister makes an appearance in the new "Superman" movie, in reference to the hero's origin story.

"Superman" is well-liked and should play for weeks in the U.S., but DC's path back to tentpole powerhouse status will take time.