Superman 2025 begins "bold 10-year plan" for DC Universe, reveals Warner Bros Discovery boss
The DC Universe has a masterplan for what lies ahead.
Superman’s box office success this weekend has set the stage for a 10-year project for the DC Universe, bosses have confirmed.
Across the weekend, fans flocked to cinemas across the world to see David Corenswet don the iconic red cape and transform into the latest Man of Steel.
With Warner Bros bosses more than pleased with the $217 million global weekend, they’ve now revealed they have a major plan in motion for the next decade, having reset the DC Universe to start afresh.
Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav told Variety: "This weekend, we watched Superman soar as James Gunn’s passion and vision came to life on the big screen.
"Superman is just the first step. Over the next year alone, DC Studios will introduce the films Supergirl and Clayface in theatres and the series Lanterns on HBO Max, all part of a bold 10-year plan.
"The DC vision is clear, the momentum is real, and I couldn’t be more excited for what’s ahead."
Superman is the sixth time the movie franchise has been rebooted – with 12 people playing Superman throughout film and TV since he first made an appearance on screen in 1948.
The film achieved a respectable 83 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes by critics, with over 10,000 fan reviews bringing it a 93 per cent rating.
RadioTimes.com awarded the movie three stars, praising Gunn's efforts but noting some characters were left underused as it tried to establish so many stories for the future of the franchise.
The success of Superman comes after Warner Bros hired Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran to overhaul the DCU, following several box office bombs for the franchise aimed to rival the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The Flash in 2023, which saw Ezra Miller as the titular hero, became one of the worst performing superhero films in history, earning only $271.4 million worldwide despite its budget ballooning to over $200 million (according to IMDb).
Other movies in the DCEU, including Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, Shazam: Fury of the Gods and Blue Beetle, also failed to draw in audiences despite hefty international promotional runs.
Typically, a movie has to gross at least 2.5 times its budget in order to be considered a success, factoring in costs to promote the movie like international press runs, promotional appearances and advertisements.
As it stands, Superman is now well on its way to achieving that goal – though is still a few weeks out to achieving it, with its production budget believed to be $225 million.
Superman is now showing in UK cinemas.
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Authors
Tilly Pearce is a freelance TV journalist whose coverage ranges from reality shows like Love Is Blind to sci-fi shows like Fallout. She is an NCTJ Gold Standard accredited journalist, who has previously worked as Deputy TV Editor (maternity cover) at Digital Spy, and Deputy TV & Showbiz Editor at Daily Express US.
