The Crazy Math That Makes a $600 Million Superman Look Like a Disappointment

Superman made $600 million at the box office, yet after expenses and the theaters' cut it probably only made Warner Bros around $100 million. That gap helps explain how a result most movies would kill for can still leave a superhero film looking like a disappointment.

Billion dollar hits like Black Panther and Aquaman reset expectations

The expectations for these movies have gotten completely out of control. After Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and even Aquaman started making billions of dollars, a superhero movie making $500 or $600 million suddenly didn't seem particularly impressive anymore. That is "kind of ridiculous when you think about it."

Most movies would kill to make that kind of money. But for Marvel and DC, anything short of a billion dollars can feel like a disappointment. There is a very good reason for this: they cost a lot to make.

Superman cost almost $400 million before theaters took their share

Superman, for example, cost $225 million, but another $150 million was spent on top of that to market it. So, no, the movie didn't cost $225 million. It cost almost $400 million.

That is not even what it needs to break even, because theaters get a piece of a film's box office too. So while Superman made $600 million at the box office, after expenses and after the theaters got their cut, it probably only made Warner Bros around $100 million.

A $600 million result now has people asking whether the genre is dying

This creates a pretty ridiculous situation. Hollywood has become so accustomed to superhero movies making astronomical amounts of money that when one makes what Superman made, we are suddenly having conversations about whether the genre is dying.

That is not because audiences necessarily rejected the movie. It is because the studio spent so much money making it that $600 million might not be enough to justify their investment.

Where do you think the line should be for a superhero movie to count as a success?