Discover the truth behind the rumored budget of James Gunn’s Superman film and if it is really higher than Avengers: Infinity War.

Making a comic book live-action film is not an easy job for not only it requires delivering to fan expectations but also an immense budget thanks to the use of CGI and technology. Even an average superhero flick usually takes a $200 million budget to produce. So, when it comes to James Gunn’s upcoming Superman, fans can’t help but wonder how costly it is.

A shot from the Superman trailer | Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Over the past year, there have been reports floating around alleging that the film was an extremely costly affair, stating the alleged budgeted amount to be more than Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War. However, the director himself took to social media recently and put all such queries to rest.

What is the alleged budget of David Corenswet’s Superman?

David Corenswet in a still from Superman | Credits: DC Studios/WB Pictures

James Gunn‘s Superman just had its first trailer released and the reviews have been largely positive. The film, as far as the trailer shows, has that 90s cartoon nostalgic vibe, taking fans’ expectations to the sky. So while we await the release of the film, many can’t help but wonder how expensive is the film for the studio.

Starring David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman, there have been rumors floating around that the film is even costlier than Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War’s $300 million budget (via The Numbers). As per a report by News5Cleveland, the film— come named ‘Genesis’— has a massive budget of $363 million.

‘Genesis,’ according to an application with the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit program, has a $363 million budget. It’s slated to receive an $11 million tax credit from the state. The application states that 25% of the film will be shot in Cincinnati and Cleveland. More than 3,200 Ohio residents are projected to be hired.

Even the Columbus Business Journal reported the same, citing the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit website. A huge amount for a film that does not even have A-list actors like Avengers: Infinity War had, the rumored budget seems preposterous. However, James Gunn recently took to social media and denied these false reports.

James Gunn comes clean about Superman’s rumored budget

James Gunn | Credits: Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0

After nearly a year of speculation over the budget of David Corenswet-starrer Superman, director James Gunn has come clean about it. Although he did not reveal the exact figure or whether or not is it similar to one of Marvel’s biggest blockbuster movies, he did quelch the rumors floating around that the film took $363 million to make.

When asked about the rumored budget by a fan on the social media app Threads, Gunn replied— No. Good God. I wish I had somewhere even close to that! And when asked by another fan if the tax document being shared was fake, he stated,

I don’t know if it’s faked or if it’s just some weird form an assistant in the Cleveland office filled out putting random stuff in the blanks. I sent it to our accountants and financial producers when it first came out a year ago and no one knew what it was. I can just tell you it wasn’t anyone on our team!

With Superman being the revamped DC Universe’s first film, it doesn’t make sense that it would have such a high budget. While Gunn did not reveal the exact budget, his comment makes it seem it might be well under $300 million. Expected to hit theatres this summer, suffice to say the fan reactions to the trailer make it seem it might be a worthy start to a potential blockbuster franchise.

Superman will be in theatres on July 11, 2025.