Superman wasn’t just a major box office draw that kicked off James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU — it doubled as a catalyst that greatly supported Warner Bros. Discovery’s earnings, per a new report.
The Hollywood Reporter writes that “WBD’s studios business saw revenues soar by 24 percent to $3.3 billion, thanks to Superman, Weapons, The Conjuring: Last Rites, with some slight declines in the TV studios segment as the company delivered fewer episodes in the quarter.” There’s been a reported uptick in streaming for the company, as subscriber growth has grown from 12.3 million to 128 million users, assumedly for HBO Max. However, Superman cannot single-handedly save Warner Bros. Discovery’s earnings as a whole as The Hollywood Reporter also noted that “Warner Bros. Discovery reported total revenue of $9 billion, down 6 percent from last year and a net loss of $148 million, owing to the struggles in linear TV, and a flat performance in streaming.”
Warner Bros. Discovery’s sale is still pending, with speculation about potential bidders flooding the internet. No official confirmation about the fate of Warner Bros. Discovery has been determined yet, though Paramount Skydance has been incredibly vocal about its interest in accumulating the entertainment company. Netflix, too, has been ‘actively exploring’ their own offer, per Variety. It remains unclear as to what the future of the DCU and DC Studios will look like if the company is split. Some have expected that Warner Bros. Discovery will ultimately make a decision on whether to divide its subsidiaries by Christmas. Looking back to Superman’s boost for Warner Bros. Discovery, it’s projected that “studios will face a difficult comparison in Q4 due to a library licensing deal with HBO Max.”
Superman Will Return To The DCU
Image via DC Studios
Man of Tomorrow will serve as a sequel to Superman with a bit of a spin. Gunn himself said that “it’s a story about Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together to a certain degree against a much, much bigger threat.” What that threat is, is yet to be confirmed, though eager DC fans have predicted that the two must pair up to take down Brainiac. Rachel Brosnahan is set to reprise her role of whip-sharp journalist Lois Lane, with expectations that Frank Grillo and Isabel Merced will return as Rick Flag Sr. and Kendra “Hawkgirl” Saunders. Not much past a basic synopsis and foundational cast has been revealed about Man of Tomorrow, and its status in the DCU has been undisrupted by Warner Bros. Discover’s pending fate so far. Perhaps Man of Tomorrow will offer Warner Bros. Discovery another financial boost upon landing in theaters come 2027.
Man of Tomorrow soars onto silver screens on July 9, 2027. Superman is streaming on HBO Max.
Superman
Release Date
July 11, 2025
Runtime
130 minutes
Director
James Gunn
Rachel Brosnahan
Lois Lane