Today's a Sad Day for Zack Snyder Fans

A new Man of Steel lands in theaters this weekend, and ahead of its release, James Gunn's Superman has garnered some heavy praise from many critics. It's not the best news for the sub\sect of diehard Snyder fans who'd been rooting for Gunn's film to fail.

Ahead of its wide release, Gunn's Superman has been given a Certified Fresh score of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. Its audience score is even higher, as it garnered a Verified Hot rating of 96% on the Popcornmeter. The Snyder fans who were hoping against the film's success will not be thrilled, as none of the Man of Steel director's Superman movies in the DCEU were able to score a Certified Fresh rating.

Released in 2013, Man of Steel, which introduced Henry Cavill in the role, has a rotten score of 57%, though its audience score is higher at 75%. Snyder's follow-up film, 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, brought Ben Affleck's Dark Knight into the mix. While Cavill's Superman and Affleck's Batman have since become fan favorites, this movie fared worse than Man of Steel, scoring a 28% score on Rotten Tomatoes, albeit with an audience score of 63%. The 2017 crossover film, Justice League, had respective critics' and audience scores of 39% and 67%, though Snyder left the project partway through production on that film.

Zack Snyder's Justice League Fared Better

Snyder was able to end his run with DC movies on a high note. In 2021, his four-hour alternate cut of Justice League, dubbed Zack Snyder's Justice League, was released straight to streaming on HBO Max. This cut fared much better than Snyder's DCEU films, earning critics' and audience scores of 71% and 92%. Even so, it still didn't manage to capture the Certified Fresh label that has already been given to Gunn's Superman.

David Corenswet is playing the Man of Steel in James Gunn's Superman, which helps launch a new cinematic universe from DC Studios dubbed the DCU. The strong response from critics is a promising sign for the future of the DCU, which might include sequels to the new Supermanfilm. The box office projections are strong, and Superman is tracking to be a big hit with its wide release in theaters this weekend. Some estimates place the film at a global haul of up to $250M for its first three days.

Superman is written and directed by James Gunn, one of the two co-CEOs of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran. The movie also stars Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner's Green Lantern, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, and Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific.

James Gunn's Superman premieres on July 11, 2025.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes