The anticipation for James Gunn’s Superman is high, and now that the DC Universe movie has broken a major Man of Steel record, it has a great shot at being a box office hit. After starting with the animated Creature Commandos series, which featured a Superman cameo, the DCU will see its first film in 2025, as James Gunn’s Superman movie brings David Corenswet’s Clark Kent, Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor, Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane, and more classic DC characters into the DCU canon. Superman has a long history in live-action, which the DCU film will honor.

After a darker take on the character in the DCEU, Gunn’s Superman is all about bringing hope back to the character, much like Christopher Reeve’s iconic Man of Steel. The latest actor to play Clark Kent on the big screen was Henry Cavill. While I was a fan of Cavill’s casting as Superman, I don’t think the DCEU did right by him, both story-wise and in terms of leaving him with no appearances for years. Still, I thought Man of Steel, his Superman debut, had a lot of positives, and Gunn’s Superman breaking the film’s impressive record has me excited.

James Gunn’s Superman Movie Has Broken A Major Record

The DCU Film Surpasses Henry Cavill’s Man Of Steel In A Huge Way

I love everything about the first DCU Superman movie trailer. After having gone a long time with only set photos and videos to go by, actually seeing what Gunn’s vision for the Man of Steel and other DC characters looks like was fantastic. The Superman movie trailer faced an overwhelmingly positive reception, which was a great sign for DC Studios. Months before the movie’s release, the DCU film is already breaking huge records. First, Superman‘s trailer became DC/Warner Bros.’ most viewed ever thanks to its 250 million views and over 1 million social posts in 24 hours.

That was already massive, and the DCU movie has now broken a Superman trailer record, beating Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel. On YouTube, Gunn’s Superman movie trailer has 51.3 million views, against 51.1 million for Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel. The craziest part about this stat is that Man of Steel had 11 years to amass these numbers, while David Corenswet’s Superman movie managed to do so in less than a month. With that disparity making the DCU film the most-watched Superman solo trailer of all time, I think Superman can top Man of Steel‘s $670.1 million box office total.

Superman’s Trailer Record Reminds Me Of Deadpool & Wolverine And I Love It

The MCU Movie Shows The Path Superman Could Follow

After a few years of the MCU releasing a mix of great and disappointing projects, I was hoping Deadpool & Wolverine would be every bit as good as it sounded. Marvel Studios knocked it out of the park when it came to increasing anticipation for the movie. Deadpool & Wolverine‘s trailers did not reveal all the surprises the film had in store, but they showed enough to make it look exciting and, in doing so, broke major records. With 365 million views in 24 hours, Deadpool & Wolverine‘s first trailer became the most-watched movie trailer of all time.

The massive number of views would translate into a historical box office run for the MCU film. Deadpool & Wolverine is now the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. The anticipation built for the film with its trailers led to $1.3 billion at the worldwide box office, with Deadpool & Wolverine being the first Marvel movie to pass the coveted $1 billion mark since 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. While Gunn’s Superman movie trailer had 115 million fewer views than Deadpool & Wolverine, its status within DC history makes me believe the movie can repeat Marvel’s latest box office success.

Superman’s Success Is Crucial To The DCU’s Future & Its New Record Gives Me Hope

James Gunn Has Already Revealed How Much Is At Stake

Deadpool & Wolverine turned great trailers into an engaging movie that succeeded at the box office, which I now think will be the case for Gunn’s Superman after it broke Man of Steel‘s trailer record. This would be great news, as DC desperately needs the movie to succeed. While James Gunn has announced many movies and shows for the DCU’s next decade, it seems like those plans all depend on how Superman performs. During a Superman set visit, ScreenRant and other outlets heard this directly from Gunn himself.

When asked how important Superman‘s success was for the future of the DCU, Gunn said, “A lot. I mean, we’re not just going to keep making movies.” Based on the director’s words, the DCU might prematurely end if Superman does not become the global hit that DC and Warner Bros. expect it to be. As I enjoy the direction the DCU is headed in, I’m afraid of the prospect that it might all end way too soon. However, now that Superman has broken Man of Steel‘s trailer record, I’m reassured that the movie will be a hit.