DC’s $170 Million Supergirl Crashes and Burns While Toy Story 5 Laughs All the Way to the Bank

Supergirl, the second film in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DC Universe, directed by Craig Gillespie and starring Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, debuted to a deeply disappointing $37.1 million at the North American box office over the June 27–29 weekend, landing in second place behind Pixar’s Toy Story 5. The animated sequel earned $70 million in its second weekend of release and has now accumulated $585 million globally. Supergirl carries a reported production budget of $170 million and an estimated $120 million marketing spend, meaning the film would need to gross approximately $375 million worldwide just to reach breakeven [1].

Critics and audiences offered a tepid response: the film holds a 56% score on Rotten Tomatoes and earned a “B–” CinemaScore. Multiple reports indicate the film was significantly cut down after poor test screenings, possibly leaving the theatrical version feeling narratively incomplete. Also opening the same weekend, Jackass: Best and Last debuted to just $8.4 million from 2,855 theaters and $1.9 million internationally for a $10.3 million global launch [1, 2].

Why It Sucks:

DC Fans

• The film they waited for got gutted in editing. Supergirl was reportedly trimmed significantly after poor test screenings, and the resulting 56% Rotten Tomatoes score and “B–” CinemaScore suggest audiences felt they received a hollowed-out version of what could have been a meaningful debut for the character [1, 3].
• Milly Alcock got stranded by a broken movie. Alcock built genuine fan goodwill in House of the Dragon, and many DC supporters were excited about her casting — only to see her land in a film critics describe as narratively incomplete, raising fears her future in the role may now be in jeopardy before it truly began [2].
• James Gunn’s DCU can’t afford a stumble this early. With Supergirl positioned as only the second film in the new DC Universe, a bomb-level opening plants doubt about whether Gunn’s planned slate can deliver the sustained quality DC fans have been waiting years for — just as the franchise’s rebuild was supposedly gaining momentum [2].

Theater Owners and Exhibitors

• 3,600 screens allocated to a summer dud. Exhibitors gave Supergirl a release across more than 3,600 North American locations — prime real estate during peak summer moviegoing season — banking on DC’s brand name to drive the foot traffic a major superhero opening historically generates [1].
• A second new release also flopped the same weekend. Jackass: Best and Last misfired at $8.4 million domestically and $1.9 million internationally the same weekend, leaving theater chains without a single strong new performer to offset Supergirl’s losses at a time of year when studios are supposed to be carrying the box office [1].
• The breakeven math makes a recovery nearly impossible. With combined production and marketing costs exceeding $290 million, Supergirl would need a global run approaching $375 million to break even — a figure that looks out of reach given the weak domestic opening and tepid CinemaScore that signals poor word-of-mouth legs [1, 2].

Warner Bros. and DC Studios

• A nine-figure financial loss is now on the horizon. With more than $290 million spent on production and marketing combined and global receipts tracking well below breakeven, Warner Bros. faces a potential write-down that will weigh on earnings reports and investor confidence in the studio’s DC strategy [1, 2].
• The DCU slate’s credibility takes a direct hit. Gunn and Safran’s plan depends on each film building audience trust in the new DC Universe — but a second-film failure at this scale signals to Wall Street and the broader industry that the relaunch has not yet found its footing, putting six or more planned DCU films in a more precarious position [2].
• Test-screening red flags weren’t resolved in time. Reports that the film was heavily re-edited after poor test screenings indicate the studio identified serious problems before release and still couldn’t course-correct — the worst outcome because it means the underlying material was commercially damaged before it ever reached theaters [3].

Sources & Citations:

[1] Deadline: Box Office: ‘Toy Story 5’ $70M No. 1., ‘Supergirl’ Tanks With $38M Opening
[2] Variety: Supergirl Is a Box Office Bomb, What’s Next for DC Studios?
[3] Fortune: Big-Budget ‘Supergirl’ Is Among DC Studios’ Worst Flops for an Opening Weekend