After months of curiosity and speculation, the first upcoming DC movie of James Gunn’s new DCU, Superman: Legacy is about to get underway. The movie has its cast and recently did a script read-through. Legacy will certainly be one of the most anticipated releases of next year. It is also, according to one report, going to be one of the most expensive movies of next year, if not ever, but James Gunn has something to say about that.
What James Gunn Says About Superman: Legacy’s Reported Budget
A fan posted a message to James Gunn on Threads asking about a report that the budget for Superman: Legacy will be quite significant $364 million. Gunn is clapping back at the number, implying that it is not accurate to the point of being laughable. Gunn said…
Absolutely not. 😂 How in the world do they think they know what our budget is?
The budget is one of the Superman: Legacy details we don't have, but that's no shock. Studios rarely, if ever, release budget numbers. So anytime you see a budget, it’s usually just an estimate, even if it’s an educated one. How this particular number was estimated is not clear. But even if the sum is high, just how much higher than reality will it end up being?
Why Superman Legacy Probably Won't Cost $360 Million?
Superhero movies and other major tentpole CGI-heavy blockbusters routinely see budgets of around $200 million. While a number have gone higher, a $364 budget is pretty wild, even for a superhero film. By comparison, Box Office Mojo lists Avengers: Endgame as having an estimated budget of $356 million, which would mean Superman: Legacy will be even more expensive than the biggest superhero movies ever.
That seems unlikely, though it's not impossible. While the Superman: Legacy cast is significant, made of characters who will continue forward in the new DCU, just as Infinity War did, none of them are stars on the level of a Robert Downey Jr, so while the salary concerns alone will be a significant part of any budget, it’s hard to imagine Legacy is costing as much as an Avengers movie.
A lot of Superman: Legacy’s cost, as with any superhero movie, is going to come in post-production. The movie has to make us believe a man can fly, after all. It’s certainly possible that Legacy will have as many digital effects shots as an Avengers movie, but it might be more accurate to compare Legacy to the last Superman movie. Man of Steel had an estimated budget of $225 million back in 2013, and even inflation isn’t going to increase the cost that much.
In the end, the biggest problem with a Superman: Legacy budget on par with that of Avengers movies is that the film is going to have to do Avengers-level box office to be successful. While Warner Bros. is likely hoping for a hit that big, it seems unlikely they'd be banking on it. Man of Steel made $670 million worldwide, which is a solid number with a $225 million budget. It becomes a far less successful movie if it costs more than $100 million more to make.
One Way Superman: Legacy Might Get That Expensive
There is one way that a $364 million budget might make more sense. Most estimated budget numbers do not include the cost of marketing or distributing the film, and for major tentpoles, those costs can be significant. If the Superman: Legacy number that has been given is actually supposed to include those costs, then the movie could still have a production budget of $200-$250 million, which seems more reasonable, but then it could jump up to the larger number when those additional costs are added.
Superman: Legacy will certainly not be an inexpensive film, and it could very likely end up on the high side of normal for a superhero movie. DC and Warner Bros. are going to want to put their best foot forward in launching the new DCU's Chapter 1, and if that means spending a bit more, it certainly could happen.
