James Gunn’s rebooted DC Universe has suffered another major setback as Supergirl crashed at the global box office in its opening weekend, delivering one of the weakest launches for a modern DC superhero film.
After weeks of declining projections, Supergirl debuted with just $38 million domestically, finishing well behind Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5, which remained the No. 1 movie in North America with a second-weekend haul of approximately $70 million. The film opened to a dismal $30 million internationally, for a global box office take of just $68 million.
The disappointing debut continues a troubling trend for Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios as the franchise struggles to convince audiences that its cinematic reboot represents a fresh start.
Supergirl Opened Well Below Expectations
Just a few weeks ago, industry tracking suggested Supergirl could open around $50 million domestically. As release approached, those estimates steadily declined before ultimately landing at just $38 million.
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International audiences failed to make up the difference.
The film’s worldwide opening leaves it far below where a superhero movie carrying the DC brand would traditionally be expected to perform, particularly one intended to build upon the new DC Universe established by James Gunn.
Instead of generating excitement following Superman, audience interest appears to have moved in the opposite direction.
Another Disappointing Result for DC
The comparisons make the performance even more concerning.
Supergirl opened significantly below The Flash, which debuted with $55 million before ultimately becoming one of the biggest financial disappointments in DC history.
It also opened almost identically to Joker: Folie à Deux, another film widely viewed as a complete commercial failure.
(L-R): Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers, and Teyonah Parris as Captain Monica Rambeau in Marvel Studios’ THE MARVELS. Photo by Laura Radford. © 2023 MARVEL.
Perhaps the most telling comparison is Marvel Studios’ The Marvels. That film opened to $47 million domestically, a figure that was widely viewed as a historic disappointment for the MCU. Supergirl finished roughly $9 million lower, underscoring just how weak audience interest was heading into opening weekend.
Even Disney’s live-action Snow White—a film widely viewed as one of the studio’s biggest box office disappointments in recent years—opened higher than Supergirl. Snow White debuted to $42.2 million domestically and $87.3 million worldwide. That means James Gunn’s latest DC film failed to match the launch of a movie that had already become synonymous with commercial underperformance.
Rachel Zegler as Snow White in Snow White (2025), Walt Disney Studios
Perhaps most alarming is that Supergirl had the benefit of launching after Gunn’s Superman, which introduced Milly Alcock’s Kara Zor-El to audiences during a cameo appearance. Rather than building momentum for the new shared universe, Supergirl suggests that audience enthusiasm may already be fading.
Mixed Reviews Didn’t Create Positive Word of Mouth
Critical reception also failed to provide the boost Warner Bros. likely hoped for.
While some access media outlets praised the film, reviews overall were noticeably weaker than those received by Superman. Audience reaction was similarly muted, with the film earning just a B- CinemaScore, an unusually soft grade for a major superhero blockbuster.
Milly Alcock as Supergirl alongside the Rotten Tomatoes review score for the film – WB; Rotten Tomatoes
That combination of mixed reviews, weak audience enthusiasm, and declining tracking numbers proved to be a recipe for disaster heading into opening weekend.
Milly Alcock’s Controversial Comments Didn’t Help
In the months leading up to Supergirl‘s release, star Milly Alcock also found herself at the center of controversy after making comments that many fans interpreted as dismissive and insulting toward portions of the DC audience.
During the film’s promotional tour, Alcock said she was comfortable with the idea of upsetting “the right people” and later mocked Christian dads who objected to aspects of the film. Those remarks quickly spread across social media, generating criticism from many longtime comic book fans who argued that attacking potential ticket buyers is rarely an effective marketing strategy.
A screen capture from the Supergirl trailer – YouTube @dcofficial
Warner Bros. and DC Studios largely avoided addressing the backlash publicly, but the controversy continued to follow the film throughout its marketing campaign. While it’s impossible to quantify exactly how much those comments affected ticket sales, Hollywood has repeatedly seen audiences react negatively when stars publicly criticize or mock segments of the fanbase they are trying to attract.
With Supergirl now opening below The Marvels and even Disney’s live-action Snow White, the marketing strategy surrounding the film—including Alcock’s comments—will likely receive renewed scrutiny as Warner Bros. evaluates what went wrong with the latest chapter of James Gunn’s rebooted DC Universe.
Pressure Mounts on James Gunn’s DC Universe
Warner Bros. will undoubtedly hope that Supergirl can display strong legs in the weeks ahead, but history suggests that films opening this softly rarely recover enough to become financial successes.
That places even more pressure on the upcoming DC slate.
Clayface arrives later this year with a significantly lower budget and therefore a lower bar for profitability. But the real test comes next summer with Man of Tomorrow, the sequel to Superman that reunites David Corenswet and Milly Alcock.
Supergirl using Heat Vision in the Supergirl trailer – YouTube, DC
If that film also struggles to generate blockbuster numbers, serious questions will begin to emerge about whether Gunn’s vision for the DC Universe is connecting with general audiences.
For now, however, Supergirl has become another expensive reminder that simply rebooting a cinematic universe doesn’t guarantee audiences will return to theaters.
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