'Superman' and DC Studios fly to $122 million opening

In a bid to kick off a new era for DC Studios, James Gunn’s “Superman” opened with $122 million in U.S. and Canada ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

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DC and Warner Bros. had a lot riding on “Superman.” While the Walt Disney Co.’s Marvel Studios has had its share of struggles, the superheroes of DC have recently found mostly kryptonite in theaters. Films like “Joker: Folie à Deux,” “The Flash,” and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” all flopped.

But “Superman,” written and directed by Gunn, is intended as a new start. It’s the first release fully steered by Gunn and Peter Safran, co-heads of DC Studios, since they were handed the keys to DC’s superhero cinematic universe.

And while Gunn turned “Guardians of the Galaxy” into a massive success for Marvel, his irreverent, idiosyncratic touch made the director — once a B-movie filmmaker with Troma Entertainment — an unlikely steward for one of the movies’ most bankable and beloved brands.