The U.S. domestic box office delivered one of its most dynamic weekends of the summer from July 11 to 13, with multiple franchise films flexing their commercial muscle. James Gunn’s highly anticipated Superman made a thunderous debut, while Jurassic World: Rebirth continued its mighty run in its second frame. With F1: The Movie still holding a podium position in its third weekend, the top three films alone accounted for more than $175 million in cumulative ticket sales. The appetite for big-screen spectacle remains strong as audiences show up in droves for event-level blockbusters.
Superman’s Sky-High Debut
Warner Bros. and DC Studios struck gold with Superman, which launched to a massive $122 million across 4,135 theaters. With an impressive per-theater average of $29,504, the film topped the weekend charts by a significant margin. This marks one of the biggest openings of 2025 and a crucial milestone for the rebooted DC Universe under the creative leadership of James Gunn. The new iteration of Clark Kent, played by David Corenswet, was met with strong fan turnout and decent critical response, positioning the film for a potentially robust second weekend.
With its crowd-pleasing tone and more hopeful storytelling compared to recent darker DC entries, Superman appears to be resonating with a wide demographic. It is also the first DC title since The Batman to cross $100 million in its debut frame, signalling a much-needed revival for Warner Bros.’ superhero slate.
James Gunn’s Superman, the first film under the new DC Studios leadership, launched with a global weekend total of $217 million. The film stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman, portraying the hero as a beacon of truth and morality in a cynical world. Rachel Brosnahan plays Lois Lane with wit and emotional depth, while Nicholas Hoult brings a cerebral menace to Lex Luthor.
Critics responded positively to the film’s heartfelt tone, noting its clear departure from the darker DC entries of the past. Corenswet’s performance was widely appreciated for capturing Superman’s inner conflict and integrity, while Gunn’s direction offered emotional weight alongside visually engaging action. The film earned an 82% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an “A-” CinemaScore, indicating strong word-of-mouth potential. Backed by a vibrant supporting cast, a classic-inspired musical score, and well-executed set pieces, Superman not only marked a box office triumph for Warner Bros. but also a hopeful creative reboot for the DC cinematic universe.
Jurassic World: Rebirth Still Stomping
In its second weekend, Universal’s Jurassic World: Rebirth continued to dominate the box office battlefield, bringing in $40 million, though down 56.5% from its opening frame. Playing in 4,324 theaters, the film maintained a healthy screen presence, helped by strong word-of-mouth and family audience interest. Its domestic total now stands at a sturdy $232.1 million after just two weeks. Internationally, Rebirth has excelled in major markets including the U.K., Mexico, Australia, and several parts of Asia, with China’s upcoming release expected to give it another major boost. Having already earned $529 million globally, the film stands as one of 2025’s top performers. While critical reception has been mixed, audiences have responded positively to its action-heavy spectacle and nostalgic callbacks, including returning legacy characters. The strong turnout reaffirms the Jurassic brand’s lasting popularity. With momentum still strong and limited direct competition in the sci-fi adventure genre, Jurassic World: Rebirth is well on its way to crossing the $600 million mark globally in the coming weeks.
Though the drop was expected with Superman entering the fray, Rebirth has managed to retain a sizable portion of its audience, particularly in premium large formats. With international numbers also robust, it remains one of the biggest hits of the summer so far.
F1: The Movie Keeps Its Pace
Racing drama F1: The Movie, another Warner Bros. entry, held well in its third weekend with $13 million, despite a nearly 50% drop from the previous weekend. Still playing in over 3,400 theaters, the film has now grossed $136.1 million domestically.
Starring Bradley Cooper as a troubled Formula One legend, the film has performed exceptionally well in both the U.S. and European markets, particularly among adult audiences looking for a dramatic alternative to CGI-heavy fare. It has emerged as one of the few non-franchise surprises of the season.
The Rest of the Top 10
Among animated offerings, Universal’s reissue of How to Train Your Dragon remained solid in fifth weekend with $7.8 million, reaching a massive $239.8 million total. Disney’s Elio collected another $3.9 million to reach $63.6 million in four weeks. Horror sequel 28 Years Later earned $2.72 million, dropping 40.3%, while Disney’s Lilo & Stitch brought in $2.7 million in its eighth week, continuing a strong legacy re-release run that has now earned $414.5 million domestically.
Meanwhile, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning grossed $1.42 million in its eighth weekend, pushing its total to just shy of $194 million. Universal’s M3GAN 2.0 suffered the steepest decline in the Top 10, dropping 65.9% to $1.35 million, and indie title Materialists from A24 rounded out the chart with $720K, bringing its 5-week total to $35.1 million.
Trends & Takeaways
The July 11–13 weekend confirmed a few prevailing industry truths. First, franchises and IPs remain king: Superman, Jurassic World, and Mission: Impossible continue to draw audiences based on brand familiarity alone. Second, adult-skewing dramas like F1 can still find commercial success when backed by strong word-of-mouth and relevant themes. Third, animated films and legacy re-releases like Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon demonstrate that family-friendly content has real staying power, even amid action-heavy competition.
With Superman proving a successful reset for the DC Universe and Jurassic World maintaining its grip globally, the box office narrative this summer is clear: tentpoles are thriving, especially when they’re built on trusted franchises with theatrical appeal. As July progresses, all eyes now turn to how long Superman can hold its lead—and what challenges the next wave of releases will bring.
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