CNN  — 

It’s not a bird or a plane — it’s the latest “Superman” movie soaring towards the top of the box office.

Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Superman” grossed an estimated $56.5 million domestically on Friday, on top of $22.5 million in Thursday previews. The 1938 comic book character, which began as a film series in 1978, is expected to gross nearly $130 million domestically for the weekend.

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“Superman has been one of the most challenging movies to project,” said Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder and owner of Box Office Theory, citing less recent interest in comic book films and DC Studios’ struggles compared to Marvel’s success. It’s part of the reason that James Gunn, co-CEO of DC Studios and director of “Superman,” unveiled new plans for the film franchise in 2023.

“This is a Superman movie for the modern era, and it also represents an opportunity for a reboot of sorts for DC Comics,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.

Early estimates had the movie earning around $90 million, said Dergarabedian. But the movie has been well-received by audiences and critics, with an 82% score on Rotten Tomatoes and 95% on the site’s Popcornmeter, boosting the opening forecast.

Gunn’s take on “Superman” varies from previous adaptations of the hero, including Zack Snyder’s 2013 “Man of Steel,” which grossed $402.6 million domestically during its run, adjusted for inflation.

This year’s “Superman” has been helped by heightened interest in blockbuster releases in recent weeks, such as“Jurassic World Rebirth,” which opened last week to $147 million domestically.

“‘Superman’ just screams ‘summer popcorn movie.’ That’s an irresistible combination for moviegoers,” said Dergarabedian.

Robbins believes “Superman” in 2025 has differentiated itself from “Man of Steel” and other comic book movies because it has “a lighter tone” and “a sense of optimism.” It may appeal to comic book fans as well as families, despite its PG-13 rating.

Some superhero movies have underperformed as audiences appear to have shown fatigue with the genre, such as 2023’s “The Marvels,” which opened to $46 million — the lowest-performing opening weekend of the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. But the R-rated “Deadpool & Wolverine” raked in more than $200 million in its opening weekend in July 2024.

“It’s just that there have been so many superhero films in the last 20 years or so that audiences feel like ‘I’ve seen this before. It’s good, but show me something else,’” Robbins said.

But how well this weekend’s optimistically toned “Superman” performs will come down to word of mouth, Robbins said.

“It’s always been an expectations game and it always will be,” he said.