James Gunn Praises ‘Superman’ Box Office Success

James Gunn is feeling “incredibly grateful” for the initial box office success of Superman and the positive reception from audiences.

The filmmaker and co-head of DC Studios took to Threads on Sunday to express his appreciation after the superhero blockbuster saw an estimated global debut of $217 million.

“I’m incredibly grateful for your enthusiasm and kind words over the past few days,” Gunn wrote. “We’ve had a lot of ‘Super’ in Superman over the years, and I’m happy to have made a movie that focuses on the ‘man’ part of the equation – a kind person always looking out for those in need. That that resonates so powerfully with so many people across the world is in itself a hopeful testament to the kindness and quality of human beings. Thank you.”

The director wasn’t the only one celebrating the film, which served as a positive launch to Gunn and Peter Safran’s reboot of DC Studios. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav also shared in a statement, “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 theaters and the series Lanterns on HBO Max, all part of a bold ten-year plan. The DC vision is clear, the momentum is real, and I couldn’t be more excited for what’s ahead,” he added.

While Gunn is delighted by Superman‘s solid debut, he previously shared that he wasn’t stressed about the pressure to deliver at the box office amid “superhero fatigue” in recent years.

“This is not the riskiest endeavor in the world,” Gunn said earlier this month. “Is there something riding on it? Yeah, but it’s not as big as people make it out to be. They hear these numbers that the movie’s only going to be successful if it makes $700 million or something and it’s just complete and utter nonsense. It doesn’t need to be as big of a situation as people are saying.”

Superman stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.