For months now, Superman has existed in a strange space where success and scrutiny coexist. Warner Bros. and DC Studios have repeatedly framed the film as a win: it had a decent box office haul, was critically well-received, and felt like a solid foundation for Chapter One of the new DCU under James Gunn. But recent comments from Netflix leadership suggest the story behind the movie’s early digital release may be more complicated than the official messaging implied.
The conversation reignited after entertainment analyst SyL shared a video on X of remarks from Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos during a U.S. Senate hearing regarding Netflix's attempt to buy out Warner Bros.. Sarandos contrasted Superman with another recent release, Sinners, while explaining how modern-day theatrical windows can be adjusted on the fly based on box office performance. His explanation was blunt:
[45 days] is the industry standard for self-enforcement. However, routinely, movies that underperform, the window moves a little bit. Superman was a little shorter window.
That framing is sure to raise some eyebrows, because it clashes with how Superman has been publicly discussed. By most traditional metrics, the film didn’t bomb. It earned roughly $617 million worldwide on a reported production budget of over $200 million. Previous reports suggest that the movie generated around $125 million in profit for Warner Bros., which the studio has pointed to as proof of success.
But Sarandos’ comment suggests a different internal benchmark. In modern studio terms, profitability alone isn’t always enough, especially for a film positioned as a franchise cornerstone. Superman was widely expected to push closer to the billion-dollar mark, not just because of the character’s legacy, but because it was meant to signal a confident start of an era for new DC movies headed to the big screen.
That expectation gap matters. A shorter exclusive run can indicate a studio is trying to maximize a film’s total lifecycle value rather than betting on long-term theatrical legs. Sarandos’s remarks imply Gunn’s new superhero movie fell into that category, even if it performed well domestically.
This is where the tension with Gunn’s messaging becomes clear. To be fair, this isn’t the first time James Gunn has addressed why Superman arrived on digital sooner than expected. In a previous interview with Screen Rant, the DC Studios co-CEO offered a more logistical explanation that had less to do with box office legs and more to do with timing inside the larger DCU rollout. Speaking about the decision, Gunn tied the early digital release directly to Peacemaker Season 2 and accessibility concerns:
Well, it’s very complicated, but the truth is it is because of Peacemaker. I originally thought Peacemaker was going to be coming out next month. There were a lot of things that are beyond our control, so Peacemaker is coming out now. And at the end of the day, I wanted everyone to be able to see Superman that wanted to — even those people who couldn’t get to a theater before Peacemaker. And that’s really the reason for it.
The Co-CEO of DC Studios' explanation for the early digital release reframes the move as less reactive to performance and more as a connective tissue decision, ensuring audiences could fully engage with the DCU before the next chapter arrived on streaming.
The Netflix CEO’s comments are fueling broader speculation about what Superman’s performance means for the DCU moving forward. A sequel, the upcoming Man of Tomorrow, has already been confirmed, and its villain cast has been announced, with Gunn teasing a storyline that forces the Man of Steel and Lex Luthor into an uneasy alliance. Warner Bros. has also publicly backed Gunn and co-CEO Peter Safran by extending their contracts, signaling stability at the top.
In other words, James Gunn’s DC Universe isn’t “in trouble”—not yet. However, this reframing of Superman’s digital release highlights how success is being defined behind closed doors. This development is likely to create significant pressure on the planned slate of 2026 movie releases and beyond, especially if the Netflix-Warner Bros. merger goes through.
We will keep you up to date on the merger as it awaits regulatory approval. Until then, Gunn’s Superman is available to stream with your HBO Max subscription. As for the next DC film headed to theaters, that's Supergirl, which flies into cinemas on June 26.
