James Gunn Has 3 Ginormous Obstacles in His Path Before Superman Becomes Highest Grossing Superhero Movie of 2025

Fans question the box office viability of the upcoming Superman movie from James Gunn with stiff competition from Marvel in 2025.

James Gunn’s Superman recently debuted its first teaser trailer, making it the most hyped upcoming superhero movie. The film marks a new dawn for DC movies and received plenty of positive reactions on social media. As a result, it is hard to argue against its box office potential. However, it won’t be easy for Superman to become 2025’s highest-grossing superhero movie.

James Gunn’s Superman is the most hyped superhero movie of 2025 (Credits: Warner Bros).

On social media, fans discussed the upcoming superhero movies slated to release next year. While many agreed that Superman would set the box office ablaze when it takes flight next summer, some argued that it won’t be the year’s highest-grossing superhero movie. Instead, it will face tough competition from three movies, and here is what they had to say.

Superhero fans predict the genre’s highest-grossing movie of 2025

James Gunn‘s Superman promises to be a feast for superhero fans with the upcoming movie starring David Corenswet recently dropping its first trailer. Following the hype generated by the trailer, the fresh new take on the classic superhero is ripe with box office potential.

Captain America 4 and other Marvel movies could dominate the box office (Credit: Marvel Studios).

On the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), fans discussed all the upcoming superhero movies and debated which would be the year’s highest-grossing. The shortlist includes Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and Fantastic Four, along with the Gunn-directed DC movie.

Here is what fans had to say about which one of these superhero movies will win the four-way battle to become the highest-grossing superhero film of 2025 on X.

As the tweets indicate, most fans feel it will be a two-way battle between Marvel’s first family and the OG superhero at the box office in 2025.

Some fans argued that the DC property might struggle at the box office because of Gunn’s take on the source material. However, Fantastic Four has yet to start its marketing campaign. Therefore, it is hard to judge which movie will soar to the top spot at the box office next year.

James Gunn’s Superman has tough competition to become 2025’s highest-grosser

Although Gunn’s Superman is currently the hottest topic on the internet, some fans are skeptical about its box office prospects, and understandably so. While Thunderbolts* is the clear dark horse in the race, it could prove to be refreshing and return Marvel to its usual box office dominance.

Fantastic Four could emerge as Superman‘s biggest box-office competitor (Credit: Marvel Studios).

On the other hand, Captain America: Brave New World had a tumultuous production process with multiple reshoots. As a result, it wouldn’t be surprising if the film bombed at the box office. However, the Captain America franchise’s goodwill might save it from becoming a disaster.

Meanwhile, the Fantastic Four reboot could greatly benefit from being set in a different reality and having no direct connections to past MCU movies. However, it is hard to argue with Superman‘s appeal for general audiences as it is set to wipe the slate clean and reset the DCU. Therefore, despite tough competition, it might be the favorite in the race.

Superman is scheduled to be released on July 11, 2025.