The Michael Jackson movie has now passed James Gunn’s Superman at the box office, and the numbers line up with what our insiders have been saying about the global market.
The Michael biopic has climbed to $621.9 million worldwide, including $358.2 million internationally, as of Friday (expect another big jump over the weekend). That means 57.6% of its box office has come from overseas markets.
Gunn’s Superman finished with $618.7 million worldwide, with $264.5 million internationally. That means only 42.7% of its box office came from international markets.
The difference is hard to ignore. Michael passed Superman in only 22 days, and it did it with the same kind of global pull that our insiders have been comparing to Zack Snyder’s version of DC.
Michael Passes Superman
The success of Michael adds more fuel to what I previously reported in “Trump’s Hollywood Reshape Favors Zack Snyder’s DC Over James Gunn.”
My insiders said the global market wants larger-than-life icons. Not smaller, softer, self-doubting heroes who get pushed around and spend too much time dealing with their feelings in the middle of a crisis.
The insiders specifically compared Superman to figures like Michael Jackson and Elvis — rock-star personalities who could command a room and inspire awe.
Now Michael has passed Gunn’s Superman at the box office.
Michael is currently estimated for at least $647M worldwide, with this weekend’s numbers. Gunn’s Superman finished at $618.7 million. Michael’s international gross alone is $358.2 million, nearly $94 million higher than Superman’s entire international run.
International Audiences Show The Difference
The overseas split is the bigger story.
Michael’s international box office makes up 57.6% of its worldwide total. Gunn’s Superman finished with only 42.7% coming from international markets.
For comparison, Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel brought in $379.1 million internationally, making up 56.6% of its $670.1 million worldwide box office. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice brought in $544 million internationally, making up 62.2% of its $874.3 million worldwide total.
Those numbers show Snyder’s DC had a stronger international pull than Gunn’s Superman. They also don’t factor in inflation, and when they do, Snyder’s DC movies are all billion-dollar blockbusters.
Man of Steel came closer to Michael’s overseas split than Gunn’s reboot did. Batman v Superman had an even bigger international share.
Snyder’s DC Still Connects Overseas
This also comes as Zack Snyder’s Justice League recently shot to #1 in India as HBO Max officially launched in the country through its expanded partnership with JioHotstar.
India is one of the major global markets Hollywood keeps chasing. Snyder’s four-hour Justice League cut topping the chart there years after release says a lot about the continued overseas interest in his DC characters.
Gunn’s Superman was sold as the fresh start for DC. It had the full studio push. It had the reboot angle. It had the “new DCU” marketing machine behind it.
Yet Michael passed it in 22 days.
The Rock-Star Superman Argument Looks Stronger
The point my insiders have been making is not just about Michael Jackson as a musician. It is about what he represents globally.
Michael Jackson was mythic. Elvis was mythic. The best version of Superman should be mythic.
Snyder treated Superman that way. Henry Cavill’s Superman was framed with weight, power, scale, and awe. The character felt like someone the world would stop to watch. Zack just released a new image proving that where he even said himself it’s awesome.
Gunn went in the opposite direction. His Superman was more vulnerable, more awkward, and more grounded in personal insecurity. Domestic audiences were more receptive, but the international numbers suggest the rest of the world was not as interested.
Michael now gives the comparison a real box office example.
A larger-than-life global icon just passed Gunn’s new Superman movie. Not over months. In only 22 days.
What It Means For Paramount-WBD
With Paramount buying Warner Bros. Discovery, the timing stands out.
Snyder’s DC keeps showing signs of life overseas. His Justice League cut just topped HBO Max in India. His Superman movies still compare better internationally than Gunn’s reboot. And now Michael’s box office success backs the same “global icon” argument our insiders have been making.
As part of Trump’s new Hollywood, he is reportedly bringing back those larger-than-life characters and films. Brett Ratner was just spotted with Trump in China, scouting locations for Rush Hour 4.
The global audience still responds to myth, power, confidence, and scale.
Snyder’s DC was built on that.
Gunn’s Superman is not.
