James Gunn says “anti-American sentiment” hurting international box office for Superman
To date, James Gunn’s Superman has grossed over $425 million worldwide. As it stands, around 60% of that comes from its domestic take. So why isn’t Superman performing as well as globally? James Gunn thinks a few factors may be at play, including the political climate.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, James Gunn noted that the Man of Steel just isn’t as popular worldwide as some of the competition, saying, “Superman is not a known commodity in some places. He is not a big known superhero in some places like Batman is. That affects things. And it also affects things that we have a certain amount of anti-American sentiment around the world right now. It isn’t really helping us. So I think it’s just a matter of letting something grow.”
To Gunn’s point about Superman, according to The Numbers, 2013’s Man of Steel saw the majority of its $668 million worldwide gross come from international markets, with domestic earnings accounting for a little more than 40%. And just so no one thinks that Gunn is actively pinning blame on international markets, he was quick to point out that foreign countries are rising and are doing comparable numbers during the weekdays.
Even still, James Gunn has a positive outlook on where Superman is standing for those who are hitting the cinema. “But again, for us, everything’s been a total win. Having the movie come out and be something that has been embraced by people everywhere — this is just the seed of the tree that Peter [Safran] and I have been watering for the past three years. So to be able to have it start off so positively has been incredibly overwhelming.”
We could debate why Superman is doing better domestically than internationally all day, but I think Gunn is hitting on some crucial points. For starters, yes, the character can easily isolate international viewers, especially since Gunn has said the character is “the story of America.” And while he would add that it is an immigrant’s story, throwing in the Stars and Stripes is a quick way to put off other countries in 2025. And let’s not forget that Man of Steel – which, again, fared far better so far in the worldwide market – was released under an entirely different administration, one that saw favorability for the U.S. rise throughout key territories.
What do you think accounts for Superman’s international box office numbers? Are there politics at play? Is Supes just not as popular overseas? Give us your opinion in the comments section below.
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