DC Studios is acknowledging that Supergirl is a box office flop, but the studio has no plans to change course.
Following the film’s disastrous $38 million domestic opening weekend, DC Studios co-chair Peter Safran admitted Supergirl failed to meet internal box office expectations while insisting James Gunn’s rebooted DC Universe will continue exactly as planned.
Speaking to The New York Times, Safran attempted to reassure audiences and investors that one disappointing theatrical release would not alter the studio’s long-term strategy.
“While Supergirl didn’t meet our box office expectations, it’s just one component of a broader, long-term strategy at DC Studios that we remain confident in.”
Of course, DC has yet to have a single breakout success under the team of Gunn and Safran, which makes these comments ring hollow.
The statement by Safran amounts to a clear acknowledgment that Supergirl underperformed while also signaling that Warner Bros. has no intention of making major changes to its current direction. Rather than treating the film’s disappointing debut as a reason to reassess the reboot, DC Studios is standing behind the roadmap Gunn and Safran established when they took over the franchise.
It’s an unusually candid admission from a Hollywood executive. Studios often avoid publicly labeling one of their own films a disappointment so quickly. At the same time, Safran’s message was equally clear: Supergirl is a flop, but the plan isn’t changing.
Supergirl Opens Well Below Expectations
The disappointing comments come after Supergirl opened to roughly $38 million domestically despite carrying a reported production budget of approximately $170 million before marketing costs.
That opening places the film among the weakest debuts for a modern DC superhero movie and continues a troubling trend for Warner Bros.’ comic book franchise.
The poster for Supergirl – DC
The Supergirl flop also comes after months of warning signs. Advance tracking consistently pointed toward a weak opening, online interest never appeared to gain significant momentum, and trailers struggled to generate the excitement typically associated with a major superhero release.
Leading up to release, actress Milly Alcock also became embroiled in controversy after mocking Christian dads and saying that it’s okay to piss off “the right people” during promotional interviews. These comments continued to circulate online as the film approached theaters. Whether those remarks materially affected ticket sales is impossible to quantify, but they certainly did little to improve the conversation surrounding the movie.
DC Has Yet to Deliver a Breakout Success Under James Gunn and Peter Safran
Safran is asking audiences to view Supergirl as a single disappointing release rather than a verdict on the broader DC Universe. On its own, that’s a reasonable argument. Successful franchises are built over years, not one opening weekend.
The challenge for DC Studios is that Supergirl isn’t arriving after a string of major successes.
Since James Gunn and Peter Safran took control of DC Studios, the reboot has yet to produce the kind of clear-cut commercial or cultural breakthrough Warner Bros. was hoping would launch a new era for the franchise. Creature Commandos generated relatively little mainstream attention despite kicking off the new continuity, while Peacemaker Season 2 has proven divisive among fans throughout its marketing campaign.
James Gunn and John Cena introduce the Red Band Trailer for Peacemaker Season 2 – YouTube, DC
Even Superman, the flagship theatrical launch of Gunn’s new DC Universe, continues to face questions about its financial performance. Those questions intensified after Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos cited the film during Senate testimony as an example of a movie that failed to generate a profit despite its global gross.
Now Supergirl has become the first DC Universe film that studio leadership has openly acknowledged failed to meet internal box office expectations.
Viewed in isolation, one disappointing release doesn’t define an entire franchise. But taken together, DC Studios still hasn’t produced the breakout success many expected when Warner Bros. handed James Gunn and Peter Safran the keys to one of the most valuable superhero brands in the world.
With future projects already facing heightened scrutiny, convincing audiences the reboot is on the right track may prove increasingly difficult.
Pressure Builds on James Gunn’s DC Universe
Supergirl is a flop and that reality significantly increases the pressure on upcoming projects.
Films like Clayface and HBO’s Lanterns will now carry even greater expectations as Warner Bros. attempts to convince audiences that Gunn’s reboot can still become the long-term franchise executives envisioned.
For now, Safran insists confidence inside the studio remains high.
James Gunn and David Corenswet sit for an interview about Superman – YouTube, Fandango
Whether moviegoers share that confidence is another matter entirely.
After Supergirl‘s disappointing opening weekend and DC Studios’ own admission that the film missed expectations, the next phase of James Gunn’s DC Universe suddenly feels far more important than anyone at Warner Bros. likely anticipated just a few months ago. But according to Safran, don’t expect any major corrections to the ongoing strategy.
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