In its second full week on HBO Max (September 29 – October 5, 2025), James Gunn’s Superman slipped once more in the streaming rankings.
Nielsen reveals the reboot failed to make the overall Top 10 and landed at #7 on the Movies chart with 258 million minutes viewed.
That marks a sharp drop from the prior week’s 569 million minutes, confirming that interest cooled fast after launch.
The numbers also put Superman back behind Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam for the second time, which pulled 333 million minutes in the same timeframe.
Black Adam Again Beats Superman
The comparison matters because Gunn’s Superman was touted as the clean slate and new flagship of DC Studios, replacing the old regime that delivered Black Adam. Yet streaming tells a different story.
As previously reported, Black Adam beat Superman in the opening window, pulling 632 million minutes in its first three days versus Superman’s 513 million minutes.
While Gunn’s film briefly overtook Johnson’s in the first full week with 569 million minutes, Black Adam didn’t chart that week due to cutoff thresholds — then returned strong with 333 million minutes in its second full week, once again outperforming Superman.
Nielsen HBO Max ratings Superman vs Black Adam:
- First 3 days: 513 / 632
- First full week: 569 / NA
- Second week: 258 / 333
A Short-Lived Boost for the New DCU
The pattern is clear: Superman only pulled ahead when Black Adam momentarily fell off the chart, then immediately dropped back below it. The quick decline shows that Gunn’s reboot spiked early from curiosity, not strong sustained demand.
Paired with a lukewarm box office run and weak audience retention across other Gunn-run DC projects (Peacemaker Season 2 lost nearly 40% of its viewers and won’t be having a third season), this latest Nielsen drop reinforces the trend that the “new DCU” isn’t showing long-term strength.
After the initial hype fades, viewers aren’t sticking around.
