Supergirl cost $170M and opened to $38M in the US — among DC's weakest openings

Supergirl, directed by Craig Gillespie and starring Milly Alcock, was the second film from James Gunn and Peter Safran since they took over DC Studios in late 2022. It opened the weekend of 28 June 2026 to $38M in US and Canadian theaters plus $30M overseas, far behind Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 5, which took $70M domestically in its second week.

Fortune reported the film had cost $170M to make and was reportedly trimmed significantly after test screenings. It landed poor reviews (56% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and a B- CinemaScore from audiences. Its opening was behind The Flash ($55M in 2023) and Green Lantern ($53M in 2011) and only just ahead of Joker: Folie à Deux ($37.7M in 2024).

Box-office consultant David Gross told the outlet superhero films no longer drive the box office as they did before the pandemic. Annual superhero-genre box office is down around $3.5B from its 2017–2019 highs, and female-fronted superhero films have also dropped off after hits such as Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel. The first Gunn and Safran DC film, 2025's Superman, grossed $618M worldwide.

$170M production cost against a $38M US/Canada and $30M overseas opening; behind Flash and Green Lantern openings.

The film cost $170M to make while the superhero genre's annual box office had shrunk by about $3.5B from its 2017–2019 peak, per consultant David Gross.

Reviews and audience scores were weak: 56% on Rotten Tomatoes and a B- CinemaScore.

Fortune reported the film was reportedly trimmed significantly after test screenings.

It opened against Toy Story 5, which had already passed $585M worldwide in two weeks.

A spinoff does not inherit its parent film's pull. In a shrunken genre, a $170M film needs a clear reason for audiences to turn out in its first weekend.

Fortune noted the stumble came as Warner Bros. Discovery prepared to be acquired by Paramount Skydance, whose CEO David Ellison recently met with Gunn and Safran. DC's next release, Clayface, was dated for October, and Gunn's Superman follow-up, Man of Tomorrow, for July 2027. Only the opening weekend is reported; the final worldwide gross is not covered.