How Superman and Supergirl Compare at the Box Office and With Critics

James Gunn’s DC Studios era has now produced two data points worth studying side by side, and the gap between them tells its own story. ‘Superman’ launched the rebooted DC Universe in the summer of 2025 with strong reviews and a healthy box office run, while ‘Supergirl’ arrived a year later carrying very different numbers.

Both films share a studio, a producer, and a shared cinematic universe, yet their commercial and critical paths diverged almost immediately. Looking at the figures side by side helps explain why one film is considered a foundation for DC Studios’ future and the other is already being framed as a cautionary tale.

The Box Office Numbers Tell Two Different Stories

‘Superman’ opened domestically to $125 million and went on to finish its run with $354.2 million in the United States and Canada, adding $264.5 million from international markets for a worldwide total of $618.7 million. It became the tenth highest-grossing film of 2025, the highest-grossing superhero film of that year, and the first DC film to surpass all Marvel films released within a single year since ‘The Dark Knight’ in 2008. The film carried a production budget of $225 million.

‘Supergirl’ had a much rougher debut. The film opened to an estimated $38 million domestically across three days including Thursday previews, and $68 million worldwide, which is not even a third of the domestic opening that ‘Superman’ enjoyed the previous summer. Its opening even landed below Marvel’s ‘Morbius,’ which made $39.1 million domestically in 2022.

The budget disparity makes the shortfall more pointed. ‘Supergirl’ cost roughly $170 million before marketing, making it notably cheaper to produce than ‘Superman,’ yet Variety reported the film would need to gross around $375 million just to break even. With a $170 million budget and additional unspecified marketing costs, Warner Bros. is projected to lose approximately $125 million on the film.

Industry reaction has framed this as more than a one-off miss. PostTrak data showed only 26 percent of opening weekend audiences cited Milly Alcock as their reason for buying a ticket, compared to 49 percent who said they came because it is part of a franchise they already love. That split suggests the character herself did not yet have the pull to carry the opening on her own.

Critics Reception for Superman and Supergirl

‘Superman’ settled into a strong critical standing after its release window. The film holds a certified fresh 83 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the site’s consensus praising how it fleshes out a new cinematic world while keeping its hero’s heart at the center of the story. Early reviews had pushed the score into the high 80s and low 90s before settling at that figure as more critics weighed in.

‘Supergirl’ did not receive the same reception. The film earned a 54 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviews that tend to single out Alcock’s performance as a highlight while criticizing the script and overall content. That is a steep drop from where ‘Superman’ landed twelve months earlier.

Trade reporting on the film’s press screening painted a similarly mixed picture ahead of release. Complaints from an early Burbank audience reportedly centered on the film leaning too heavily on tonal nods to ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘Mad Max,’ along with a villain that some viewers found underwritten. Jason Momoa’s turn as Lobo drew a more mixed response as well, with some viewers wanting a funnier take on the character.

Not every outlet piled on. Den of Geek noted that ‘Supergirl’ arrived amid a broader shift in how superhero films are being received by audiences, suggesting the character’s box office struggles say as much about the current climate for the genre as they do about the film itself. That framing puts ‘Supergirl’ in the company of other recent comic book releases that have underperformed regardless of quality.

Audience Reaction and CinemaScore Grades

Audience response for ‘Superman’ outpaced even its critical numbers. The film earned a 94 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, matching the audience score ‘The Dark Knight’ received in 2008, and it also collected an A- CinemaScore from opening night audiences, on par with grades earned by ‘Man of Steel’ and ‘The Batman.’ That combination of strong reviews and enthusiastic opening night crowds is typically a reliable predictor of a healthy theatrical run, and ‘Superman’ bore that out over its months in theaters.

‘Supergirl’ landed a noticeably softer grade from the same metric. The film received a B- CinemaScore, a full grade and a half below what ‘Superman’ achieved a year earlier. A B- is not a disaster by CinemaScore standards, but for a tentpole release with this budget it signals lukewarm word of mouth rather than the kind of excitement that drives strong second and third weekends.

DC Studios leadership has publicly acknowledged the shortfall while framing it as part of a longer plan. DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran said that while ‘Supergirl’ did not meet the studio’s box office expectations, it remains just one component of a broader, long-term strategy the studio remains confident in. That statement suggests the studio is not treating the film’s performance as an isolated crisis, even as commentators debate what it means for the DCU’s momentum.

What This Means for DC Studios Going Forward

The comparison matters because both films were built as connected pieces of the same universe. DC Studios has ‘Clayface’ and ‘Man of Tomorrow’ still to come, and both are described as needing to perform well to prove that ‘Superman’ was not simply a one-off success for the rebooted brand. That puts real weight on the next two releases to steady the ship after ‘Supergirl’ fell short.

Some observers have pointed to the broader genre landscape rather than any single misstep in explaining the drop off. Den of Geek argued that the climate for superhero films in general has shifted, with only the most established multigenerational brands, such as ‘Superman,’ ‘Batman,’ ‘Spider-Man,’ and ‘Wonder Woman,’ still reliably drawing large crowds. Under that reading, ‘Supergirl’ ran into headwinds that had little to do with Alcock’s performance and everything to do with audience fatigue across the category.

Whatever the explanation, the numbers create a clear before and after for DC Studios’ new era. ‘Superman’ proved the studio could open a film strongly and hold critical and audience goodwill through a full theatrical run, while ‘Supergirl’ shows how quickly that goodwill can evaporate when reviews turn mixed and marketing dollars do not translate into ticket sales.

With ‘Man of Tomorrow’ already filmed and on its way, the real test for DC Studios’ new universe is still ahead. How much of ‘Supergirl’s’ underperformance do you think comes down to the film itself versus the state of superhero movies right now.