The question of which film was more profitable between Superman and Man of Steel appears to be settled, with Superman leading in profits for the studio. Superman opened strong in the summer movie season with $125 million and maintained good attendance in the following weeks. Although Superman earned more in the domestic box office, Man of Steel performed better internationally. Some have highlighted this to suggest Superman was a box office disappointment, even though it is getting a sequel titled Man of Tomorrow, scheduled for release on July 9, 2027.
Variety reported that Superman made $125 million in profit for Warner Bros. The report does not clarify if this profit figure comes only from box office earnings or if it also includes revenue from related deals. Warner Bros. has not confirmed official numbers. In comparison, a 2013 report from Deadline said Man of Steel earned a profit of $42.7 million. This puts Superman’s profit about $82.3 million higher than Man of Steel.
Superman’s domestic box office stands at $353.3 million with a total worldwide gross of $614.1 million. Man of Steel earned $291 million in the United States and $670 million worldwide. Both films reportedly had budgets around $225 million, but Deadline said in 2013 that Man of Steel’s actual cost was closer to $258 million, with an additional $58 million paid to key people involved in the film, including Zack Snyder, Christopher Nolan, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Charles Roven, and Jon Peters.
These extra costs might explain why Superman has delivered a larger profit. It was reported that Nicholas Hoult, the highest-paid actor in Superman, earned $2 million. David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan each made $750,000. All three actors may receive performance bonuses, likely based on the film’s strong box office returns.
Warner Bros. seems more confident about Superman compared to their response after Man of Steel. After Man of Steel, the studio canceled a direct sequel and quickly moved on to Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Man of Tomorrow aims to continue the elements fans liked about Superman, though director James Gunn says it is not a traditional sequel. The discussion after Man of Steel focused on its darker tone and a controversial scene where Superman kills Zod. By contrast, the general audience has received Superman far more positively. This may be the first time since the original Superman movie in 1978 that the hero has won such broad public approval.
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