'Superman' flexes its might in second weekend with $57.3 million

NEW YORK (AP) — James Gunn’s “Superman” showed staying power in its second weekend at North American box offices, collecting $57.3 million in ticket sales and remaining the No. 1 movie in cinemas, according to studio estimates Sunday. None of the week’s new releases — “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” “Smurfs,” and “Eddington” — came close to touching Warner Bros. and DC Studios’ superhero success. “Superman” dipped 54% from its domestic opening, an average decline for a big summer film. In two weeks, “Superman” has grossed $406.8 million worldwide, a good start for the movie DC Studios is banking on to restart its movie operations. A big test looms next weekend, when the Walt Disney Co. releases Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” Strong audience scores and good reviews should help propel the $225 million-budgeted “Superman” toward profitability in the coming weeks. For Warner Bros. and DC Studios, “Superman” is key to kicking off a 10-year plan for the comic book adaptation studio. Co-heads Gunn and Peter Safra were tasked with rehabilitating the flagging operation. Next on tap are the films “Supergirl” and “Clayface” in 2026. But “Superman” is far from flying solo in theaters right now. Universal Pictures’ “Jurassic World: Rebirth” came in second this weekend, with $23.4 million in its third week of release. The seventh “Jurassic” movie, this one starring Scarlett Johansson, held its own despite the competition from “Superman.” In three weeks, it accrued $648 million worldwide.