James Gunn responds to Superman backlash as the new film faces vocal detractors and rapidly declining box office projections, putting pressure on DC Studios just weeks before the highly anticipated release. The situation paints a turbulent landscape for Gunn, Warner Bros., and fans, as doubts grow about whether the new Superman can soar amid controversy and negative sentiment online.
Early Criticism and Strong Emotions Build Around Gunn’s Superman
James Gunn’s much-anticipated Superman movie has encountered vocal criticism even before its release. Some of the film’s detractors appear not merely skeptical but actively opposed to its success, as they campaign across social media to undermine excitement for the project. In spite of this unrest, there remains a segment of the audience—even among Gunn’s harshest critics—willing to consider the film on its merits.
When asked about this resistance in a Rolling Stone interview, Gunn approached the situation with a degree of calm and conveyed that he finds balance in public criticism. He referenced fan reactions to a sneak peek of the film attached to A Minecraft Movie. Interestingly, Gunn revealed that his own actors sometimes take negative commentary harder than he does. As he stated,
“I don’t mind it. I think it’s good. I think you don’t wanna have everybody root for you. And I have an actor who reads everything online. I won’t say who it is, but he’ll read this article, and he’ll know who it is. It’s one of the top five in Superman. And this actor gets so upset over things that people say. I said, ‘First of all, you realize that the trailer came out and [reaction] was 97, 98% positive. These people help us, because you don’t want everything to seem 100% positive,’”
—James Gunn, Director.
He further acknowledged the inevitability of online opposition, emphasizing that some criticism can be excessive but is always present with high-profile projects.
“It’s all right to have an opposing force every once in a while. Some of the things get ridiculous – I just know that every time something comes out, it doesn’t matter how positively received, there’s gonna be something that is of great controversy. It was great controversy that the sun caused Superman pain,”
—James Gunn, Director.
Public Campaigns Aim to Disrupt Superman’s Success
Much of the discontent has been driven by online personalities, such as the Geeks + Gamers YouTube channel, whose influential streamers have publicly criticized footage from Gunn’s Superman, including clips shown during Minecraft’s preview. Unlike some of the most intense Zack Snyder supporters, however, they have stopped short of organizing sabotage campaigns.
In a revealing move, members of the r/SnyderCut subreddit have tried to undermine Superman’s release through aggressive strategies. Plans have surfaced to spread spoilers, coordinate negative review bombing, and deliberately reserve tickets without completing purchases in hopes of stunting opening weekend sales. The ringleader of this campaign described this tactic as a means to prevent what he called “Gunnbots” from purchasing tickets.
After being shown screenshots of these posts, including one labeled “ifwecanthaveoursupermannoonecan,” Gunn’s response was characteristically unfazed:
“LOL. I think we’ll survive. I’m not sure the eight people that listen to that guy (I’m going to go out on a limb and guess it’s a guy) are going to impact the course of events,”
—James Gunn, Director.
Box Office Projections Decline as Concerns Rise
While Gunn may approach the backlash with humor, the latest projections for Superman’s box office debut are cause for concern at DC Studios and Warner Bros. Initial forecasts placed the film’s opening weekend at a respectable $125 million, but recent numbers have dropped that ceiling to what analysts believe may be the most optimistic case, with worst-case projections now as low as $90 million.
Cosmic Book News has observed that industry insiders and outlets like Deadline are spinning early data positively, but acknowledge that ticket sales momentum may not hold as the film’s actual release nears. Despite Superman’s strong legacy and brand recognition, these numbers reflect a lukewarm anticipation for Gunn’s version of the character compared to other recent superhero releases.
In a direct comparison, Superman’s “must-see” score trails behind Marvel and DC films like Thor: Love and Thunder, The Batman, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3—all of which achieved their numbers during pandemic-affected periods. It is even outpaced by Captain America: Brave New World, which, despite receiving significantly higher early interest, ultimately opened to $88.8 million.
“Captain America: Brave New World had a first choice score 71% higher than Superman‘s at the same stage, and it only opened to $88.8M,”
—Cosmic Book News. The site added concerning the Marvel project,
“mega-bombed so bad a the box office that Disney named it in its investor report as being a loss for them,”
—Cosmic Book News.
Competitive Summer and Uncertain Outlook for DC Studios
Despite stormy indicators, some analysts believe that if Superman’s marketing campaign can rally the fan base, strong results remain possible—especially considering that its main box office competition, Jurassic World: Rebirth and Fantastic Four: First Steps, are generating less pre-release buzz. Recent commentary from Cosmic Book News also forecast difficulties for Jurassic World: Rebirth, suggesting that all is not lost for Gunn and DC Studios in the summer blockbuster battle.
The fate of Gunn’s Superman holds significant implications for Warner Bros., DC Studios, and the ongoing effort to energize the superhero genre. As conflicting signals swirl around projections and public opinion, all eyes are on Gunn’s response to Superman backlash and how it may influence the future direction of the DC cinematic universe.
