DC Disaster: 'Supergirl' Flops Hard Against 'Superman' at Debut!
Supergirl's box-office debut fell short of expectations, garnering mixed reviews and a mediocre audience grade. Starring Milly Alcock, the film's $70 million worldwide opening signifies a challenging start for James Gunn's nascent DC Universe, despite critical praise for its lead.
The highly anticipated film, Supergirl, experienced a disappointing box-office debut this weekend, garnering mixed reviews and a mediocre audience response. The movie, which stars Milly Alcock as the titular character, follows her introduction in last year's Superman, a film that initiated James Gunn and Peter Safran's new DC Universe. This new franchise was established to rebuild audience favor after the mixed reception of the decade-long DC Extended Universe (2013-2023).
Supergirl's opening weekend grossed approximately $38 million domestically and $70 million worldwide. This performance falls significantly short of its predecessor, Superman, which debuted with $125 million domestically and $220 million worldwide in 2025. The film's initial haul was also less than the opening-weekend figures of previous box-office disappointments like The Flash ($55 million domestic debut) and The Marvels ($46 million), which were produced with budgets exceeding $250 million. In contrast, Supergirl's budget is reported to be around $180 million.
Critically, Supergirl holds a 56% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus praises Milly Alcock's swagger as Kara Zor-El, noting a promising new hero in the DCU who is still awaiting an adventure matching her vigor, despite a familiar origin story. However, audience reception, as measured by CinemaScore, was a B-, a grade that typically indicates a rapid decline in box office performance for films. This makes Supergirl a significant misfire for the studio, putting pressure on the DCU to regain audience trust.
Directed by Craig Gillespie, the cast also features Jason Momoa and Matthias Schoenaerts, with David Corenswet appearing as Superman. The DC Universe plans to continue its narrative with next year's Man of Tomorrow, which will again include Corenswet and Alcock, alongside Nicholas Hoult in the role of Lex Luthor. The film's release date was June 26, 2026, with a runtime of 108 minutes, and it was produced by James Gunn, Lars P. Winther, Nigel Gostelow, and Peter Safran, based on a screenplay by Ana Nogueira.