12 Years Later, This Controversial Comic Sci-Fi That Divided a Fanbase Is a Streaming Hit

With James Gunn's Superman remake impressing critically and commercially, one of the most polarizing movies chronicling the titular hero has become a high-flier in the streaming world. The DC Extended Universe's Man of Steel has made its way onto the HBO Max charts 12 years after its debut.

Per Flix Patrol, Zack Snyder's Man of Steel is currently in seventh place on the HBO Max Top 10 global movie chart. The superheor film is ranked ahead of the recent Oscar-winning drama, Anora, Tyrese Gibson's 1992 and Adam Sandler's Grown Ups 2. The chart still sees Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan's supernatural thriller, Sinners, on top after multiple weeks.

The movie that kicked off the ill-fated DCEU remains a divisive film among comic book fans. Man of Steel sees Henry Cavill step into the role of Clark Kent as he learns of his Kryptonian heritage and becomes Superman, Earth's chief protector. Kent faces a significant challenge as he takes on the rogue General Zod (Michael Shannon), doing everything in his power to stop his nemesis from destroying humanity.

Written by Blade franchise screenwriter David S. Goyer and partly conceptualized by Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan, Man of Steel features Amy Adams as Lois Lane and Russell Crowe as Superman's biological father, Jor-El, along with Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Superman's adoptive parents. John Wick franchise star Laurence Fishburne also features as Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White.

Man of Steel Has a Complicated Legacy

Despite its visually appealing action sequences, Man of Steel failed to impress critics. Furthermore, Cavill's performance as Superman earned mixed reviews, though he received more praise for his portrayal of the Last Son of Krypton over time. Man of Steel has a 57% critical rating and 75% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes, proving its cult classic status among audiences despite its lukewarm feedback.

The film also grossed $670 million against its $258 million budget, won Cavill an MTV Movie Award and earned three Saturn Award nominations. Though a Man of Steel sequel, with Cavill on board to reprise his role as the popular DC superhero, entered active development, it was ultimately canceled.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice became the eventual Superman follow-up, and sadly became one of the biggest disappointments in the history of the superhero genre. Both films set the tone for a largely inconsistent DCEU full of critical and box-office underperformers, leading to Gunn and Peter Safran scrapping several projects and establishing the DCU in 2022 to restore DC Studios' big-screen reputation.

Gunn seems to be restoring some of that goodwill thanks to Superman, which kicks off the DCU's film slate and stars David Corenswet as the Man of Steel. The remake nearly made back its $225 million budget following a $217 million opening weekend domestically, boasting an 83% critical rating and 93% audience score. Corenswet stars alongside Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.

Man of Steel is streaming on HBO Max. Superman is currently playing in theaters.

Source: Flix Patrol