There's something electric about watching two heavyweight studio bets collide on the same scoreboard. James Gunn's Superman has just outpaced Joseph Kosinski's F1: The Movie at the worldwide box office, clocking in at $594.4 million compared to F1's $590 million haul, per The Numbers. It's not a knockout punch, not yet, but it's enough to give Warner Bros. bragging rights—if only for a weekend.
And that's the curious part: both films come from the same parent company. Warner Bros. doubled down this year with Superman (a reported $225 million gamble) and F1: The Movie (floating around the $200 million mark, depending on which production whisper you believe). Two tentpole epics, two icons—one caped, one behind the wheel—launched under the same banner, and now they're sprinting neck-and-neck toward the same finish line: $600 million. Gorgeous symmetry. Expensive symmetry.
Gunn's DC Reboot Flexes Its Muscles
James Gunn is no stranger to risky resurrections. Guardians of the Galaxy shouldn't have worked, but it did. The Suicide Squad should've been DOA, but he spun it into cult glory. With Superman (released July 11, 2025), he's done something subtler—handing David Corenswet the cape and injecting a note of sincerity into a franchise often obsessed with grit and grandeur.
Yes, the film is already available on VOD platforms. That usually means the box office curve starts bending down. But Gunn's Superman seems to be holding just enough momentum to prove Warner's theatrical strategy right: keep it big, keep it wide, and trust that global audiences still show up for myth on the big screen.
The F1 Machine Still Roars
Meanwhile, F1: The Movie—which debuted June 27, 2025—was designed as a different kind of spectacle. Brad Pitt in the driver's seat. Joseph Kosinski of Top Gun: Maverick fame behind the camera. Authentic racing sequences stitched into a glossy narrative that screams prestige-blockbuster hybrid. It's cinematic adrenaline with Oscar-adjacent muscle, and Warner treated it with the same A-tier priority as its comic-book sibling.
What's striking is the balance: Superman's fantasy versus F1's reality. One a DC Studios revival, the other a high-octane sports drama. Both massive, both risky, both ultimately paying off.
Warner Bros.' Year of Momentum
Add in Sinners—the $90 million dark horse that broke through earlier this spring—and Warner Bros. finds itself in rare territory: every gamble this year has stuck the landing. At a time when studios are questioning the value of theatrical releases, Warner Bros. is plotting 12–14 big-screen debuts per year across its divisions. It feels like a statement of intent, maybe even defiance.
The box office isn't the whole story, of course. Cultural staying power matters too. Superman has decades of myth behind it. F1 has real-world adrenaline and Pitt's star power. Which one wins the “long run” is another debate entirely. But right now, on paper, it's the Man of Steel by a nose.
What You Should Know About the Superman vs. F1 Showdown
Warner Bros. doubled up: Both films came from the same studio, each with $200M+ production budgets.
Superman edges ahead: As of now, Gunn's DC reboot stands at $594.4M, topping F1's $590M global total.
Confirmed release dates: F1: The Movie opened June 27, 2025; Superman followed on July 11, 2025.
Streaming crossover: Superman is already available via VOD, which could shift its earnings trajectory.
Warner's hot streak: With Sinners, F1, and Superman, 2025 has become a defining box-office year for the studio.
