The Warner Bros. DC film opened with $67 million worldwide against a budget reportedly above $200 million, raising concerns about the newly rebooted DC Universe.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Warner Bros.’ new DC film “Supergirl” is projected to lose at least $100 million after a weak opening weekend at the global box office, according to analysts cited by Variety.
The summer superhero release opened Friday and earned $37 million domestically during its first weekend. Overseas, the film brought in $30 million, giving it a worldwide opening total of $67 million against a budget of more than $200 million, Variety reported.
The opening places “Supergirl” among the lower-performing modern superhero films and creates a financial challenge for Warner Bros. and DC Studios.
Variety described the film as a “money loser” and a major setback for the newly rebooted DC Universe.
“Supergirl” is the second film in the latest DC movie slate led by DC Studios co-chief James Gunn. The first was last year’s “Superman” reboot, which earned about $350 million worldwide against a reported $225 million budget. While that film recovered its production budget, reviews and audience reaction were more muted than expected for a major superhero relaunch.
Analysts said “Supergirl” would likely need to reach about $375 million worldwide to break even. Current projections place its final global total closer to $300 million, assuming it reaches that figure.
The film’s early performance has raised questions about whether the new DC Universe can generate the kind of event-level audience enthusiasm needed for large-budget superhero releases.
Variety reported that one challenge may be the central character’s lower profile compared with better-known comic book heroes.
“This was always going to be a tough hurdle for DC and Warner Bros. because Supergirl isn’t a character that has ever created an event-level blockbuster,” Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations told the outlet. “Audience perception of ‘Supergirl’ was not good. This is just a case of the film wasn’t good enough to become an event.”
The disappointing launch has also revived broader discussion about superhero movie fatigue, as several comic book films in recent years have struggled to meet box office expectations.
DC Studios co-chief Peter Safran said the studio remains committed to its broader plan despite the poor performance.
“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,” Safran said.
The underperformance comes at a time when audiences are still showing up for major theatrical releases. “Toy Story 5,” which opened the prior weekend, earned more than $160 million worldwide. Its debut ranked as the second-largest opening ever for an animated film, behind 2018’s “The Incredibles,” which opened with $182.7 million.
“Supergirl” also faced criticism before release over comments from star Milly Alcock, who promoted the film as tied to LGBTQ+ themes and criticized potential detractors. Breitbart’s John Nolte argued that the remarks hurt the film’s prospects, comparing the controversy to backlash surrounding Rachel Zegler and Disney’s “Snow White” remake last year.
The film’s opening weekend now leaves Warner Bros. and DC Studios facing a difficult box office path. Unless “Supergirl” shows unusual staying power in theaters, analysts say the movie is likely to finish well short of profitability.
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