Superman is gearing up for a major comeback — and he's not alone. As one of the most iconic figures in the comic book world, his return to the big screen comes at a pivotal time for Hollywood, which is still finding its footing years after pandemic shutdowns and industry-wide strikes.
But Superman won’t be carrying the weight of the box office on his own shoulders. Marvel Studios is also staging a bold return with two anticipated releases this summer: Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
While some critics have claimed that audiences are growing tired of superhero films, the genre remains a crucial pillar of summer box office success — particularly when the films deliver strong stories and fan appeal.
The $4 billion success of the “Barbenheimer” summer may have been driven by two standout hits, but that record-breaking haul also relied on superhero entries like Guardians of the Galaxy and Spider-Man, which were the second- and third-highest grossers of the season.
As Hollywood looks to rebound in 2025, top filmmakers behind this year’s most anticipated releases shared insights with The Associated Press, offering a glimpse into what could be a defining summer for the industry.
Summer Movie Math
Summer begins early in Hollywood, on the first weekend in May. Kids might still be in school, and pools might still be closed, but that kickoff can make or break that pivotal 123-day corridor that has historically accounted for around 40% of the annual box office. Last year was the first in many that didn’t launch with a Marvel movie and it showed — the business limped along for weeks until Disney came to the rescue with “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
This year, the powerful studio is back in that familiar spot with “Thunderbolts,” which brings together misfits and antiheroes like Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Red Guardian (David Harbour) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan).
“It’s a fun twist on what a movie like this could be,” said director Jake Schreier. “There are some places we’re gonna go that are different from what you would normally expect.”
He added: “It’s trying to be a movie about something and the moment we’re in — not in a political sense, but just where everybody’s at and what everyone’s been going through.”
The Memorial Day weekend could also be a behemoth a few weeks later with the live action “Lilo & Stitch” and “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” storming theaters. With a new “Jurassic World,” a live-action “How to Train Your Dragon” and a Formula One movie also on the schedule through June and July, the summer 2025 season has the potential to be the biggest in the post-COVID era.
Before the pandemic, all but one summer since 2007 broke the $4 billion mark. Since 2020, only one has: 2023, led by “Barbie.”
Saving Superman (and the DC Universe)
After three “Guardians” movies, James Gunn knows enough to know that he doesn’t have much control over whether people buy tickets for his movies. His job is to make something good, entertaining and “worthy” of the audience.
But that’s also possibly underplaying the pressure of taking on Superman and overseeing a unified DC universe that kicks off with “Superman” on July 11. He considers it the first true superhero movie he’s ever made.
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“It’s a personal journey for Superman that’s entirely new,” Gunn said. “It is, first and foremost, about what does Superman learn about himself. But it’s also about the robots and the flying dogs and all that stuff. It’s taking a very real person and putting them in the middle of this outrageous situation and outrageous world and playing with that. I think it’s a lot of fun because of that.”
The film introduces a new actor to the role of Superman/Clark Kent in David Corenswet, who stars alongside Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. Gunn said to expect different things from both.
“It was a lot of fun making a Lex that is actually going to kill Superman,” he said. “He’s pretty scary.”
The film is also “seeding the rest of the DCU,” Gunn said. “If it works as a movie in a basic way, that’s what we need to happen, that’s what I care about.”
Superman as a brand has always trailed Batman at the box office. None of the Zack Snyder films crossed $1 billion, not accounting for inflation, while both Christopher Nolan “Dark Knight” sequels did. But Gunn isn't thinking a lot about that.
“I just want to make a decent movie that makes a little money,” Gunn said.
Marvel’s First Family
Superman’s not the only legacy brand getting a splashy reintroduction this summer. A new Fantastic Four crew, assembled for the first time under umbrella of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Kevin Feige, is heading to theaters July 25.
“Fantastic Four is a comic I’ve loved since I was a kid,” said director Matt Shakman. “They are the legendary heroes of the '60s that the Marvel silver age was built on.”
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, The Fantastic Four is among Marvel’s longest-running comics series. But it has not had the most distinguished history on film, including two with Chris Evans and one with Michael B. Jordan.
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is set in a retro-futuristic 1960s New York, where Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards is “basically Steve Jobs meets Einstein who’s creating technology that’s changing the world” and Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm is “essentially the secretary-general of the U.N.,” Shakman said.
A television veteran with directing credits on shows like “WandaVision” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” Shakman said he wants to do right by the characters, and audience.
“It’s working on an incredibly large scale in terms of world building, but it’s also no different from all of the great comedies and dramas that I’ve done,” Shakman said. “In the end, it comes down to character, it comes down to relationships, it comes down to heart and humor.”