Corenswet's Superman Salary Is Embarrassing — Here's Who Made More

According to Puck News, Corenswet was paid $750,000 for playing Clark Kent in James Gunn's Superman, hitting theaters July 11. That's the same amount paid to his Lois Lane, Rachel Brosnahan.

The top earner in the main cast? Nicholas Hoult, pulling in $2 million for playing Lex Luthor. That's a noticeable gap — but also not entirely surprising given Hoult's film resume. Unlike Corenswet and Brosnahan, both known mostly for TV, Hoult's been working in major films for two decades.

Some perspective on superhero salaries:

• Robert Downey Jr.: $500,000 for Iron Man (2008)
• Chris Evans: $300,000 for Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
• David Corenswet / Rachel Brosnahan: $750,000 for Superman (2025)
• Nicholas Hoult: $2 million for Superman (2025)

All three leads are expected to earn bonuses based on box office performance, which could be significant — because Superman is already off to a massive start. The film made $22.5 million in previews alone, outpacing the early numbers for both Barbie (2023) and The Batman (2022).

Reviews are also strong.

• Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson praised Corenswet: "Fortunately, he's found an appealing Kal-El/Clark in TV actor David Corenswet."
• The Atlantic called the movie "an optimistic story about society's struggle to accept inherent goodness."
• The Washington Post highlighted the ensemble: "In Corenswet, Brosnahan, Hoult and their co-stars, Gunn has clearly found a capable, congenial ensemble to usher Clark, Lois and Lex into a new era."
• /Film called it "a real sense of entertaining silliness that left a big, stupid smile on my face."

For context, the last big-budget Superman movie, Man of Steel (2013), had a far pricier cast with names like Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, and Russell Crowe. So by comparison, Superman 2025 was made on a tighter upfront talent budget — but if the box office trajectory holds, those smaller salaries won't stay small for long.

Superman is now playing in theaters.