Supergirl's $18 Million Opening Fails to Soar Past Superman's Shadow

James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC Universe appears to be navigating challenging early days, with recent releases failing to meet high expectations. The highly anticipated film "Superman," directed by Gunn himself and starring David Corenswet, garnered $618 million worldwide against a substantial reported budget of $225 million. This figure unfortunately fell short of the 2013 predecessor, "Man of Steel," and even lagged behind another 2025 release, "F1," in global box-office revenue. Gunn is currently developing a sequel, "Man of Tomorrow," which will see the return of Corenswet as the titular hero and Nicolas Hoult as the villainous Lex Luthor, placing renewed pressure on the creative team to revitalize the burgeoning franchise.

Compounding the DCU's struggles is the anticipated underperformance of "Supergirl," which debuted recently. Starring Milly Alcock in the lead role, the film received mixed reviews from critics, reflected in its 57% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus praises Alcock's "swagger" but notes an "otherwise familiar origin story." Despite some critical acclaim, such as Collider's Therese Lacson hailing it as "the definitive and best version of the superhero to date," "Supergirl" is projected to gross significantly less than "Superman's" opening weekend.

At the domestic box office, "Supergirl" launched in second place, securing approximately $18 million on its opening day from 3,602 theaters. Projections for its three-day debut range from the low $40 million to about $50 million. Produced on a budget of roughly $170 million, this opening haul positions "Supergirl" below recent superhero films like "The Flash" and "The Marvels," and considerably behind "Superman's" $125 million debut. For context, "Toy Story 5" maintained its stronghold on the box office, earning $21 million domestically on Friday during its second weekend, with expectations of a $70 million to $80 million weekend haul, bringing its North American total near $300 million.

Beyond the top two, other new releases also made their mark. "Jackass: Best and Last" claimed the fourth position with $3.8 million on Friday from 2,855 theaters, eyeing an estimated $8.5 million by Sunday. While marking the lowest opening for the franchise, its modest $10 million production budget ensures profitability. Meanwhile, Focus Features’ horror thriller "Obsession" garnered $2.9 million on Friday, expecting to reach $9.4 million by Sunday, pushing its seven-weekend North American tally to around $233 million on a sub-$1 million budget. Steven Spielberg’s "Disclosure Day" rounded out the top five, earning $2.3 million on Friday and an estimated $7.8 million through Sunday, aiming for a domestic total of $94 million after three weekends.

Directed by Craig Gillespie, known for films like "I, Tonya" but with a mixed box office track record, "Supergirl" features Milly Alcock as a 20-something Kara Zor-El, haunted by Krypton's collapse. She teams up with a young alien warrior, Ruthye (Eve Ridley), to pursue Krem of the Yellow Hills. The film's screenplay was penned by Ana Nogueira, with James Gunn, Lars P. Winther, Nigel Gostelow, and Peter Safran serving as producers. The cast also includes Jason Momoa, Matthias Schoenaerts, Diarmaid Murtagh, Ferdinand Kingsley, and David Corenswet. "Supergirl" was released on June 26, 2026, with a runtime of 108 minutes.