During its second full week of availability on HBO Max from September 29 to October 5, 2025, James Gunn’s Superman experienced a notable drop in streaming viewership, failing to enter the overall Top 10 rankings. According to Nielsen data, the film ranked seventh on the Movies chart with 258 million minutes streamed, signaling a steep decline from the 569 million minutes viewed during its debut week. This downturn placed Superman once again behind Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam, which drew 333 million minutes watched in the same period.
Black Adam Maintains Streaming Lead Over Superman
The rivalry in streaming performance highlights a surprising reality for the DC Universe’s reboot efforts. Superman was promoted as the new flagship for DC Studios under James Gunn, intended to replace the legacy of previous productions like Black Adam. Despite this, Black Adam outperformed Superman in several key intervals. Initial reports showed Black Adam amassing 632 million minutes in its first three days compared to Superman’s 513 million. Although Superman briefly surpassed Black Adam in the first full week with 569 million minutes, Black Adam’s absence from the chart that week was due to threshold cutoffs. The sequel week, however, saw Black Adam’s return with 333 million minutes streamed, reclaiming the lead once more over Superman’s diminished viewership.
Nielsen HBO Max streaming figures (Superman / Black Adam):
- First 3 days: 513 million / 632 million minutes
- First full week: 569 million / Not available
- Second full week: 258 million / 333 million minutes
Initial Interest for Superman Fades as New DC Universe Struggles to Maintain Viewership
The streaming trends display a clear pattern: Superman’s short-lived lead occurred only when Black Adam temporarily fell off the chart, with the former quickly losing ground afterwards. This rapid drop-off suggests that curiosity around the reboot sparked early attention, but failed to sustain long-term interest. When combined with lackluster box office returns and diminishing audience retention for other James Gunn-led DC projects—such as Peacemaker Season 2 losing nearly 40% of its viewers and the cancellation of a third season—it becomes apparent that the new DC Universe is struggling to secure lasting audience engagement.
As initial hype dissipates, Nielsen ratings reflect viewers’ waning enthusiasm, raising concerns about the direction and appeal of the ongoing DC reboot efforts.
