James Gunn‘s Superman leapt past the $300 million mark at the worldwide box office on Thursday as it heads into its second weekend. That number includes an impressive domestic haul of $177.7 million after enjoying strong midweek business.
The DC Studios and Warner Bros. superhero pic will have no trouble staying atop the chart in its sophomore outing and is trouncing new offerings I Know What You Did Last Summer and Smurfs. Both films are reboots, and are projected to open to less than $13 million domestically.
From Columbia and Screen Gems, the R-rated horror pic I Know What You Did Last Summer earned $2.2 million in Thursday previews. While Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. reprise their roles from the original films, the new installment otherwise introduces a host of newcomers to the series, including Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, Sarah Pidgeon and Gabbriette Bechtel.
Set three decades after the 1997 original film of the same name, the storyline — much as the first movie — follows a group of friends who try to cover up an accidental death for which they were responsible. Cut to a year later, when one of them receives a note containing the ominous titular message. Not long after, a killer armed with a metal hook and clad in a fisherman’s slicker and hat begins gruesomely killing them one by one. Soon, they turn to two survivors of the legendary Southport Massacre of 1997, played by Hewitt and Prinze.
Critics haven’t exactly embraced the reboot, which currently has a 33 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience score is a somewhat better 68 percent, but I Know What You Did Last Summer could be the latest victim of horror fatigue at the box office (so far, Superman is evading the same fatigue that has plagued the superhero genre).
Smurfs, which Paramount picked up from Sony, didn’t hold Thursday previews and officially opens everywhere Friday. The animated family film likewise hasn’t impressed reviewers, despite an all-star voice cast that includes Rihanna in her first turn as a Smurf. The voice cast also includes Nick Offerman, Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Oh, Alex Winter, Billie Lourd, Maya Erskine, John Goodman, Kurt Russell and Jimmy Kimmel. The critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes is presently at 20 percent (there’s no audience score yet).
Directed by Chris Miller, Smurfs is the first installment in the theatrical franchise in eight years. Thanks to Rihanna, who plays Smurfette, the movie is filled with dance and song. The story follows Smurfette leading a mission to save their leader that takes them into the real world, including Paris, Munich and the Australian Outback, where the Smurfs meet up with small, feathered, Minion-like creatures named Snooterpoots. Their leader is voiced by Lyonne.
All eyes, however, will be on Superman to see how well it holds up in its second weekend. It certainly has every chance of passing up the entire lifetime run of Marvel’s Thunderbolts*, which topped out at $383 million globally earlier this year. Marvel’s other 2025 entry, Captain America: Brave New World, didn’t fare much better in grossing a meek $415 million worldwide.
Marvel hopes to turn its fortunes around when Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters a week from now on July 25. That gives Superman one week to itself before facing direct competition. Both tentpoles are attempting to relaunch their respective franchises.
July 19, 10: 35 a.m.: Updated with revised estimates.
This story was originally published July 18 at 10:36 a.m.
