‘Superman’s Record-Breaking Streaming Debut Just Proved That the DCU Is Dominating the MCU

Another day, another win for Superman and James Gunn’s DCU, as the franchise’s first feature film flew to the top of the HBO Max streaming charts. Superman debuted on HBO Max on September 19, 2025, a little over two months after its theatrical release, having grossed $354 million domestically and $615 million worldwide. The superhero film has been a box office and critical hit, with a sequel, Man of Tomorrow, already slated for July 9, 2027.

Variety reports that Superman drew 13 million viewers in its first ten days on HBO Max. That makes it the biggest debut on the streaming platform since Barbie back in 2023, which was the highest-grossing movie of that year. Superman seemingly saw a boost to many other titles associated with the Man of Steel across the streaming platform, leading up to and after its debut. During the week of September 15–21, the documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story increased by 670% in streaming views compared to the prior week. Christopher Reeve’s Superman: The Movie jumped by 155%, while the Brandon Routh-led Superman Returns jumped up by 120%. Even the DCEU’s Man of Steel, which fans have pitted against the DCU’s Superman, increased 40% during the same week.

‘Superman’ Puts the DCU on Top (For Now)

Warner Bros.

Superman’s popularity on HBO Max may be attributed to several factors. One group was made up of viewers who didn’t see the film in theaters and could now watch it at home, while there were also many fans who wanted to rewatch it to prepare for another impending DCU project. Superman’s debut was perfectly timed for Peacemaker Season 2’s sixth episode, which featured a cameo that tied directly into that film. Audiences are clearly embracing David Corenswet’s Superman and this new shared universe, which draws attention to how the MCU is performing.

Given the nature of DC and Marvel being two rival publishers, every aspect of their media are typically framed against one another, even when the creators of these projects tend to be fans of one another. Although the MCU dominated the DCEU for nearly a decade, Superman marks the first time that DC will have the highest-grossing superhero film of the year, both domestically and worldwide, since 2008’s The Dark Knight, not counting the COVID-19 pandemic. DC almost came close in 2017 with Wonder Woman, which won the domestic box office race but lost to Spider-Man: Homecoming, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Thor: Ragnarok worldwide.

It is worth noting that the MCU is still not out for the count, as Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps actually performed better with critics than Superman on Rotten Tomatoes, though not by a wide margin. Thunderbolts* holds an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, while The Fantastic Four: First Steps has 87% compared to Superman at 83%. Metacritic is a bit of an equalizer, as Thunderbolts* and Superman are tied with a 68 rating, with The Fantastic Four: First Steps landing at 63. It will be interesting to see how First Steps compares when it arrives on Disney+, but it is clear that both the DCU and MCU are doing well for themselves after a very rough couple of years.

Release Date

July 11, 2025

Runtime

130 minutes

Director

James Gunn

Producers

Peter Safran

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