‘Supergirl’ Just Became DC Studios’ Biggest Problem After Bracing for a $100 Million Loss
DC Studios was already navigating a high-stakes summer when ‘Supergirl’ arrived in theaters on June 26. The second film in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DC Universe, the cosmic adventure adapts Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s acclaimed 2021 comic series, following Kara Zor-El as she reluctantly teams up with a vengeful teenager named Ruthye on an interstellar quest for justice. On paper, the ingredients for a compelling franchise entry were there. On screen, critics and audiences found something far messier.
Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, the film received a decidedly mixed critical reception heading into its opening frame. The film landed a rotten 56% score on Rotten Tomatoes, a steep downgrade from the 83% earned by its predecessor ‘Superman’, though its audience score settled higher at 77%. The recurring theme across reviews was as consistent as it was uncomfortable for the studio: the movie’s biggest asset was also the one thing it couldn’t fully serve.
The consensus among critics was clear, with the film’s recurring bright spot being Alcock’s performance, and reviewers pointing to her ability to turn familiar themes of grief and belonging into something affecting and endearing. As one critic put it, Alcock was delivering an A-level star turn inside a B-at-best movie. The praise for the actress has been near-universal, even as the film around her took fire for its visual flatness, weak script, and clunky action.
That critical ambivalence hit the box office hard. Warner Bros. and DC spent $170 million to produce the film and roughly $120 million to market it, with the film misfiring to $38 million in North America and $68 million globally in its opening weekend. With a break-even point estimated at around $300 million, the film’s opening weekend trajectory suggests it will end up making approximately $200 million by the end of its run, hence the widely reported $100 million loss estimate. Warner Bros. faces an even larger write-down should the film fail to reach $200 million before leaving theaters.
Demographic data compounded the concern, with 59% of the opening weekend audience being male and 65% aged over 25, meaning the key demographic of young women that the studio had hoped to attract simply did not show up in meaningful numbers. Box office analyst Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations noted that Supergirl has never been a character who generated event-level blockbuster energy. The disappointing result also made ‘Supergirl’ DC Studios’ first box office flop, only two films into the new DC Universe.
DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran moved quickly to address the fallout. In a statement given to The New York Times, Safran said the film “didn’t meet our box office expectations” but characterized it as just one component of a broader, long-term strategy the studio remains confident in. Rather than treating the result as an indictment of the entire reboot, Safran pointed to the bigger picture and a slate still taking shape.
Milly Alcock’s performance has routinely been cited as one of the film’s genuine bright spots, and she is set to reprise the character in ‘Man of Tomorrow’, giving Kara Zor-El a second chance to connect with audiences in a more broadly appealing context. The studio is also expected to course-correct its approach, with analysts suggesting that when lesser-known comic book characters are greenlit, studios will need to economize on production budgets and marketing spend going forward. For now, all eyes turn to October’s ‘Clayface’ and whatever lessons DC Studios takes from Kara’s difficult landing. Whether you think the film deserved a better fate or see the result as a necessary wake-up call, drop your take in the comments.
