‘Supergirl’ Crashes to Earth With a $68M Global Opening — and a $170M Budget Hanging Over Its Head
DC Studios had reason to feel cautiously confident heading into this summer. Last year’s ‘Superman’ reboot delivered a massive commercial win, grossing over $618 million worldwide and giving James Gunn’s newly rebuilt DC Universe a roaring start. The plan was always to follow that momentum with a grittier, more science-fiction-driven adventure, adapting Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s acclaimed comic miniseries ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow’ as Chapter One’s next theatrical entry. On paper, a punk rock superhero epic helmed by Craig Gillespie, the filmmaker behind ‘I, Tonya’ and ‘Cruella’, sounded like exactly the kind of bold creative swing the DCU needed.
Milly Alcock, who had already introduced her version of Kara Zor-El in a brief scene at the end of ‘Superman’, was tapped as the lead, bringing the ‘House of the Dragon’ star into her first solo franchise vehicle. DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has been vocal about his faith in the casting decision. Speaking on The Howard Stern Show, Gunn described Alcock as “absolutely stunning” in the film, adding that casting her “might be the best bit of casting I’ve ever done in my entire life.”
The numbers that arrived this weekend, however, told a more complicated story. According to @FilmUpdates, ‘Supergirl’ opened to $38 million domestically and $68 million globally against a reported production budget of $170 million. Those figures were confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, which noted that the domestic total came in at $38 million while the worldwide figure landed at $68 million, with Toy Story 5 holding the top spot with an estimated $70 million sophomore frame. For context, that domestic opening amounts to less than a third of what ‘Superman’ earned in its debut weekend last year.
The film’s critical reception has not helped matters, with ‘Supergirl’ landing a 56% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, placing it below The Flash’s 63% and just above Wonder Woman 1984’s 57%, both widely considered disappointments in their respective eras. By comparison, other recent DCU entries have fared considerably better, with ‘Creature Commandos’ at 95% and last year’s ‘Superman’ at 83%. Recurring criticisms in reviews point to flat action sequences, an underdeveloped villain, and tonal inconsistency, though there is one consistent bright spot across nearly every writeup. Variety described Alcock as “effortlessly shifting between a fiercely menacing cosmic force, a genuinely funny protagonist, and a deeply vulnerable young woman,” and that sentiment echoes across the critical consensus regardless of how writers felt about the film surrounding her.
Industry observers have noted that the film’s biggest complaints from press screenings centered on audiences having little patience for the film’s homages to ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘Mad Max’, while Jason Momoa’s Lobo was considered a welcome presence but not quite funny enough to fully land. The film is estimated to have a break-even point of $315 million worldwide, not including marketing costs, while Warner Bros. will reportedly consider anything above $300 million a meaningful result.
Up next for DC Studios is October’s body horror project ‘Clayface’, starring Tom Rhys Harries, followed by the Superman continuation ‘Man of Tomorrow’, which arrives next summer with Alcock reprising her role alongside David Corenswet. The future of Kara Zor-El within the DCU appears secure regardless of how this opening weekend shakes out. The real question now is whether ‘Supergirl’ can find legs through the July Fourth holiday to narrow the gap between a difficult debut and a path to profitability. Share your thoughts in the comments below — does Milly Alcock’s performance make ‘Supergirl’ worth the trip to the theater, or does the film’s mixed reception have you waiting for the streaming release?
