By James Gunn‘s Superman performed quite well at the box office, but it experienced an explosive success on streaming, accumulating an astonishing 13 million streams within its first 10 days on HBO Max (via Variety). This marks the streamer’s most significant 10-day launch since 2023’s Barbie, which became a substantial cultural event that initiated a robust awards campaign.
It appears that a rising tide lifts all boats, as numerous titles from HBO Max‘s collection of Superman media have also experienced spikes in streaming figures during the same September 15-21 timeframe. The 10-day period saw significant increases for Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (up 670%), Superman: The Movie (up 155%), Superman Returns (up 120%), and Man of Steel (up 40%).
I count myself among those 13 million, having recently rewatched Superman. Just like the two times I viewed it in theaters, I adored it even more this time. It’s no surprise at all that it’s thriving on streaming, as the film has undoubtedly drawn its fair share of repeat watchers, along with fans eager to catch it for the first time at home.
Superman was the inaugural film of James Gunn’s new cinematic DC Universe, which launched with the animated streaming series Creature Commandos. It has since progressed with Peacemaker season 2, which directly follows up on plot developments from Superman.
In the meantime, Supergirl is slated to release next summer, followed by Man of Tomorrow, the direct sequel to Superman, in which Supes and Lex Luthor will need to work together.
While we await the release of Man of Tomorrow on July 9, 2027, keep informed about all the upcoming DC films and series currently in development.