Blockbuster Superman Film Shines A Spotlight On Local Talent

In case you've been living underneath a rock, one of the biggest summer blockbusters of the year is here in the form of Superman. This iteration of Superman is the first major outing of new master of the DC Universe James Gunn.

Gunn has made waves, particularly in the superhero world, thanks to his work on Guardians of the Galaxy, Super (which was shot here in Shreveport), and Peacemaker - just to name a few.

Over the weekend, James Gunn's new Superman movie (with a little help from a former LSUS Instructor) had one of the best opening weekends for any solo Superman movie ever!

Superman Had One of the Biggest Openings of 2025

The movie grossed an estimated $122 million at domestic theatres. Internationally, it generated roughly $95 million. So, that's a total opening weekend of $217 million. As far as solo Superman movies go, the latest had the best opening - beating Zack Snyder's Man of Steel film which opened at $116 million in 2013.

In 2025, only 3 films have made more than $100 million on their opening weekend. A Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch, and Superman. In a world where $100 mill plus blockbusters are getting fewer every year, this is a pretty good opening weekend for the Man of Steel.

So, a pretty good start to the Gunn era of DC Movies.

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The Man of Steel's Shreveport Connections

What does the new Superman movie have to do with Shreveport, Louisiana? More than you may think, actually.

Firstly, star of the new hit Superman film - Mikaela Hoover - will be in downtown Shreveport this summer for the 2025 edition of Geek'd Con! Mikaela plays Cat Grant in the movie. Her and her character have been a major part of the marketing plan for the new film (as seen below). So, that's the first connection.

The next connection is Pa Kent himself. In the new film, Pa is played by none other than Pruitt Tayler Vince! Pruitt is a Louisiana native, hailing from Baton Rouge. But, beyond that, he spent a period of time at Louisiana State University - Shreveport as an "Artist in Residence" - helping countless students in their journey through the world of acting.

Finally, one of James Gunn's earliest ventures into the world of Super heroes happened right here in Shreveport. Super, the 2010 dark superhero comedy written and directed by Gunn, was mostly filmed right here in Shreveport, Louisiana. The film was shot locally between December 9th 2009 and January 24th 2010. There were some additional shots in LA, but the majority of the film was shot right here in Shreveport.

Technically, Super was the 2nd James Gunn film dealing with Superheroes. His first was the 2000 movie The Specials - which he wrote but didn't direct. So, this is the first full production by Gunn on a super hero property. Of course, since 2010, he's gone on to make countless critically acclaimed superhero shows and movies.