If you’re an Amazon Prime member, congratulations: you now have the power to see Superman four days before the rest of the world. On July 7, 2025, Prime subscribers will get early access to James Gunn’s DCU reboot—days ahead of its July 11 wide release. But don’t let the shiny Amazon landing page or the flashy merchandise links distract you: this move isn’t just about rewarding loyal Prime users. It’s about trying to get ahead of a potentially brutal box office weekend, and it says a lot about where Warner Bros. is at mentally with Superman.
Let’s not forget that Jurassic World: Rebirth opens on July 2, grabbing that coveted Fourth of July window. Dinosaurs eat everything—and WB knows it. So rather than go head-to-head with Universal’s mega-franchise, they’re dipping into the “Prime Premiere” playbook, hoping that a bit of early buzz can carry Clark Kent across the finish line when the general public finally gets their shot a week later. It’s not exactly a new strategy either. Amazon helped Aquaman pull $3 million from its early screening back in 2018. Shazam! managed $3.3 million through a similar Fandango event. It’s real money—but more importantly, it’s word of mouth. And Superman is going to need every ounce of goodwill it can get.
But not all early screenings are created equal. Back in 2019, Shazam! had two preview screenings on the same day, and some analysts argued that it hurt the film’s momentum. The people who were going to show up… already did. The hype was front-loaded. Compare that to Aquaman in 2018, which had just one Amazon screening—tight, exclusive, and impactful—and went on to gross over $335 million domestically and a staggering $1.15 billion worldwide. Less turned out to be more.
Then there’s The Flash in 2023. That film had more early screenings than anyone could count—some paid, some free, all over the country. If you were even mildly interested, there was a chance to see it ahead of release. And yet? Total flop. Despite being one of my personal favorite movies of the year, it was DOA in theaters. Why? Was it Ezra Miller? Was it the fact the DCEU had already been taken out back like Joe Pesci in Goodfellas? Who knows. But the point is: Superman doesn’t have the luxury of fan loyalty right now. It’s climbing a very steep hill made of superhero burnout and audience apathy toward anything that isn’t Batman.
Speaking of which—The Batman had its own IMAX fan screening in March 2022, and that move paid off. It built buzz the right way: one exclusive event, no oversaturation, and the film rode that wave to over $770 million worldwide. So yes, early screenings can work—but only if they’re treated like events, not giveaways.
Early estimates suggest the film could open to somewhere between $100 million and $120 million domestically and land in the $700–830 million range globally. But—and this is important—none of that is based on real ticket sales. Tickets don’t go on sale until June 12. Right now, it’s all vibes, trailer clicks, and online sentiment. And sure, those vibes are looking solid: the trailer racked up 24 million views in just three days, and it debuted with a 5% unaided awareness score—one of the highest The Quorum has seen since Wicked’s Super Bowl drop. It even climbed to 7% before leveling out. That’s strong. But “strong” in May doesn’t mean “profitable” in July.
And that’s part of the issue. Superman is supposed to be the grand reset button. The start of Gunn’s DCU. The film that drags this whole damn franchise out of the swamp the DCEU left behind. But the event status isn’t fully there yet. The hype is simmering—it’s not boiling. Ask the average moviegoer if they know a new Superman movie is coming this summer, and half of them will probably blink at you. It’s not that people dislike Superman. They just… don’t care. Not yet. Not the way they care about Spider-Man, or Deadpool, or dinosaurs.
Which is why this Prime screening is smart. It gives WB a second chance at a first impression. If the movie lands—and early reactions suggest it might—then Prime members become the evangelists, the ones telling their friends, “No, really, it’s good. You should check it out.” And in an age of skepticism and superhero fatigue, that kind of organic boost is gold.
There’s another layer here too: the merch push. That Amazon landing page doesn’t just offer screening details—it’s flooded with t-shirts, Funko Pops, collectibles, and assorted Superman swag. And weirdly? That’s the only place I’ve really seen it. I live in a decent-sized town—about 100K people—and yet Target, Walmart, and the other usual suspects? Nada. Almost no Superman merch in stores. It makes me wonder if WB is going all-in on direct-to-consumer via Amazon, maybe in response to ongoing tariff concerns or just changing retail trends. Whatever the reason, it’s another piece of the puzzle: Warner Bros. isn’t just selling a movie. They’re trying to reengineer how that movie reaches people—from the screen to your doorstep.
All of this points to one truth: Warner Bros. is nervous. Not panicking—but definitely hedging their bets. They’ve watched the superhero landscape shift under their feet. They saw The Flash crash, Blue Beetle bellyflop, and Aquaman 2 fail to recapture lightning. And now they’ve got a new Superman, a new Lois, a new universe—and a whole lot of people who just don’t trust them anymore.
I’ll be honest: I’m in. As soon as that Prime ticket link goes live, I’m buying. I want to see this early. Not just for curiosity’s sake, but because Superman feels like a referendum. If this thing works, it could be the spark DC needs. If it doesn’t? Well, Zaslav might finally start slicing and dicing Warner Bros. into saleable chunks, and the next big superhero crossover might be “Batman vs. Hulu.”
Look, maybe Krypto the Superdog will sell this thing. People love dogs. But I do wonder if there’s a bit of an uncanny valley situation brewing there. That CG dog looks real. And while audiences are totally fine with talking raccoons and sentient trees, there’s something weird about a perfectly rendered good boy that isn’t actually real. If kids get confused—or worse, creeped out—it might create backlash WB wasn’t ready for.
But hey, that’s just one of a thousand unpredictable variables swirling around this release. For now, we wait. And watch. And maybe pre-order a Superman mug while we’re at it.
Hollywood After Dark 