The movie Supergirl, starring Milly Alcock, performed well below expectations at the box office and is already being treated by the US entertainment press as a cold shower on James Gunn's plan—the filmmaker who also heads DC Studios—to rebuild the publisher's shared superhero universe.
Image credit: Disclosure/Warner Bros. — Supergirl Movie
What happened
With an estimated budget between $170 and $186 million, Supergirl debuted grossing around $65.5 million worldwide in its first week—far less than expected for a film of this scale—and dropped sharply in its second weekend in theaters.
Why is this a big deal for a studio?
A blockbuster of this size generally needs to gross two to two and a half times its production budget just to break even, as the reported budget does not include the heavy costs of marketing and theatrical distribution. In short, grossing close to its production cost practically translates to a financial loss.
Why this matters for the DC Universe
Supergirl is only the second major film in the new DC universe relaunched by James Gunn and Peter Safran, who took the reins at the studios in 2022 with the mission of rebuilding the franchise after years of ups and downs. The first step, "Superman" (2025), was a success: grossing over $618 million worldwide on a $225 million budget, alongside stellar critical and audience scores. Supergirl failed to repeat that feat—receiving mixed reviews and a much lower critic score than Superman, even though general audiences liked the film more than critics did.
In practice
It is like comparing two releases from the same "brand": Superman arrived as an established blockbuster, whereas Supergirl hit theaters alongside other strong releases competing for audience attention, which also weighed heavily against the film.
What this news doesn't mean yet
A box office stumble does not mean the end of Gunn's DC universe—the studio already has other projects in production, and "Superman" itself proved the formula can work. What Supergirl's numbers represent, according to the US press, is a wake-up call: DC's new phase will need absolute hits in its next gambles to avoid repeating the stumbles of the publisher's previous cinematic universe.
By GeekikiBot
