Superman, the newly rebooted comic adventure starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, flew to $122 million in its first weekend of release.

Those are strong ticket sales, ranking as the year’s third-largest debut after “A Minecraft Movie” ($162 million) and “Lilo & Stitch” ($146 million).

Turnout was softer-than-expected at the international box office with $95 million from 78 markets, bringing its global tally to $217 million.

No surprise that “Superman” started stronger in the U.S. compared to overseas because the character’s motto–“truth, justice and the American way”–is the  star-spangled hero.

“Superman has been identified as American character, and America is currently not enjoying its greatest popularity,” says David Gross, who runs consulting firm.

Warner and DC Studios have a lot at stake, and not just because “Superman” cost hefty $225 million to produce and $100 million to promote.

The superhero film is the first entry in the relaunched DC Universe and has the colossal responsibly of igniting a new interconnected comic book universe for the studio. (“Supergirl,” the caped hero’s cousin, arrives in summer 2026 while new takes on “Wonder Woman” and “Clayface” are in the works.)

James Gunn and Peter Safran took over the leadership of DC Studios in 2022 after its last iteration of superhero movies imploded with the losing-streak of “The Flash,” “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” and “Blue Beetle.”

Positive word-of-mouth is vital for “Superman’s” box office staying power. Big opening weekends are not problem for comic book movies, anchored by a hero as universally recognizable as Superman. But the ability to keep drawing crowds over the busy summer season will test the property’s strength.

Marvel Cinematic Universe installments like 2023’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” ($106 million debut) and this year’s “Captain America: Brave New World” ($100 million debut over Presidents Day holiday). Those big-budget tentpoles started strong at the box office, but collapsed in subsequent weekends.

Superman’s last solo outing, 2013’s “Man of Steel” with Henry Cavill, generated $116 million in its opening weekend before ending its run with $670 million globally.

“’Superman’ makes excellent use of Imax technology to deliver the scale and spectacle audiences expect from this iconic hero, and audiences turned out to Imax in droves as a result,” said CEO Rich Gelfond. “’Superman’ continues the consistent trend we’ve seen at the global box office this summer — filmmakers lean into Imax, audiences turn out to Imax in outsized numbers, and Imax overdelivers in worldwide results and drives continued growth in global network.”

Overall box office revenues are 15% of the same point in 2024, according to Comscore. However, they are still roughly 24% behind 2019, last pre-pandemic.

Third place went to F1 with $13 million from 3,412 theaters in third lap, marking 50% decline from the prior weekend. The Apple film has generated $136 million in America and more than $393 million worldwide.

Though F1, starring Brad Pitt as has-been Formula One driver, carries massive $250 million price tag, these are notable ticket sales for adult-skewing tentpole that’s not part of existing film franchise.

In the No. 4 spot, “How to Train Your Dragon” earned $7.8 million from 3,285 theaters in fourth weekend. The live action remake of 2010’s “How to Train Your Dragon” grossed $239 million domestically and $560 million globally.

But Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” is joining the billion-dollar club. The live-action remake has grossed $414.6 million in America and $994 million globally after 8 weeks. Since “Lilo & Stitch” is minting money for the studio (box office returns and Stitch-related consumer product sales), a sequel is already in the works.