Superman Trailer Record Disproves One Paranoia About The Character

Superman, the 2025 big-screen launch of the newly-christened DC Universe unveiled its teaser trailer on December 19. At the conclusion of the first 24 hours, hundreds of millions of views and records were left in the wake. Those are numbers any filmmaker or studio would want to hear, especially director James Gunn, who has so far handled less popular IP, and Warner Bros., who are fresh off a failed shared universe.

But Superman's trailer reception is also a big win for the Man of Steel himself after years of relative underperformance at the box office and reviews, especially considering the character’s unrivaled popularity. Years of trying and failing to give Superman a spotless outing post-Richard Donner’s 1978 movie, and the near-consistent success of fellow legacy characters Batman and Spider-Man, have sparked discourse among fans—and even some within Hollywood—that the character is past his glory days.

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Superman Has DC and Warner Bros.’ Most Viewed Trailer of All Time

James Gunn Is Statistically on the Right Track

Despite his iteration being a mixed bag, Henry Cavill's abrupt end as Superman—barely after being confirmed to continue in the role—angered the DC faithful, who would later reel from the closure of the DCEU. Superman, as the feature film opener of DC’s attempt at redemption, reasonably carried on its back a ton of expectations, as did James Gunn, and the new Man of Steel, David Corenswet. Such was the hype of Superman that a teaser to the teaser trailer was released on the eve of the latter. And when DC’s Santa in Gunn finally delivered his Christmas present to fans in the trailer, the reactions far exceeded anything the brand had hitherto witnessed.

Within 24 hours, the movie amassed 30 million views on DC's official YouTube channel. For context, the previous record holder, The Batman’s 2021 trailer, had 15 million views in its first 24 hours on Warner Bros. Official YouTube channel—a much larger reach than DC’s channel—and Captain America: Brave New World, one of the most anticipated movies of the year, took a month to match Superman’s half-day tally. As confirmed by Gunn himself, the trailer saw a total of 250 million views in 24 hours, which is a record for both DC and Warner Bros. To condense these impressive numbers into a sentence: Superman now sits fifth in the list of biggest 24-hour debut for any trailer, only below Deadpool and Wolverine, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and two Avengers: Endgame trailers.

While trailer launch isn't strictly equivalent to commercial success (cue Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and Thor: Love and Thunder) it is statistical proof of anticipation. The last DC movie to get this level of hype, pre-The Batman, is arguably Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice—although it's unsurprising given that it was the first time audiences would witness the live-action Dark Knight and Man of Steel share the big screen.

Superman Was Previously Thought To Be a Spent Force

Box Office Underperformances Has Put the Character’s Popularity With Modern Audiences in Question

Superman’s clout, while still a close second at worst in pop culture, has been diminishing at the box office. The character went from the most powerful force at the box office in 1978 to struggling to compete with Batman, Spider-Man, and Iron Man. Superman III, Superman IV: Quest for Peace, and Supergirl failed to capture the cinema and box office-revolutionizing magic of Superman I and Superman II. 2025’s Superman Returns, featuring Brandon Routh in the red cape, failed to double its budget, with Warner Bros. Forced to cancel a sequel and cling to positive reviews as cold comfort. Zack Snyder’s 2013 DC Extended Universe launcher, Man of Steel, did far better with $670 million, but Iron Man 3—a less popular IP—had just grossed $1.2 billion that same year, and its predecessor, Iron Man 2, grossed $623 million. Moreover, Henry Cavill’s gloomy Superman didn’t please some viewers.

Follow-up Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was the straw that broke the backs of viewers and underwhelmed at the box office; Justice League’s infamous Superman CGI-lip speaks for itself. In contrast, since the turn of the century, Batman has had two billion-dollar outings in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, and Spider-Man’s lowest-grossing film is The Amazing Spider-Man 2, with $709 million . Just recently, Superman placed ninth in Fandango’s list of 2025’s most anticipated movies, behind John Wick spin-off Ballerina and The Accountant 2.

Fingers have been pointed at poor writing, the character’s overpowered nature, and overexposure (although the success of Batman and Spider-Man films has made this last fact nonsensical). For “Supermanologist” David Mann, the Blue Boy Scout’s shift from a social crusader to a patriotic figurehead was a major determiner. The truth may lie in the fact that there’s an ongoing tug of war between nostalgia and modernism with the character, one that has seen losers on both sides. Sadly, CW’s Superman and Lois, the only near-successful attempt at making peace with both fandoms, remains severely underrated.

James Gunn’s Superman Promises to Bridge the Gap

James Gunn’s Superman is inspired by the character’s silver age, and the newly released trailer doesn’t try to hide it. But what’s more interesting is the clear attempt to bridge the “nostalgia versus modernist” divide, evident in the classic overpants, brighter colors, a promised never-before-seen terrifying Lex Luthor, and uncharted territory vis-à-vis the first live-action Krypto.

However, not all fans are sold. Some fans loyal to the Snyder regime—realist fans—didn’t hesitate to make known their reservations, though. Complaints of a lack of realism akin to Man of Steel, cheesy costumes, poor color grading, and oversaturation are not difficult to spot in the comments sections of videos of the Superman trailer. Warner Bros. Will most certainly be unbothered by the few dissenting voices in what is a resounding “YES” to Gunn’s vision.

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July 11, 2025

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130 minutes

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James Gunn

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Written and directed by James Gunn, Superman is the first movie in Warner Bros.' Rebooted DC Universe to center around the titular comic book hero. It introduces a new version of the Man of Steel after Henry Cavill's departure from the role, honoring the character's roots as "the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way."

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