'Superman' continues to soar at box office

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.

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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 percent 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.