DCU’s Supergirl Opens to Soft Box Office and a Press Tour That Fired Up Everyone — For Different Reasons

DC Studios’ Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow opened nationwide on June 26, 2026, as the second film in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DC Universe, following last summer’s Superman. The film carried a production budget of approximately $170 million, with ad partners backing a marketing campaign Deadline reported at more than $100 million — bringing total estimated studio spending to roughly $270 million [1, 3]. Box office tracking heading into opening weekend projected a domestic gross in the range of $40 million to $55 million, down from an initial forecast of $55 million or higher, with Pixar’s Toy Story 5 — which had already crossed $200 million domestic by its second Tuesday in theaters — expected to remain the weekend’s top earner [1]. Critics largely singled out Milly Alcock’s performance as Kara Zor-El for praise, but the film settled at 57 percent on Rotten Tomatoes from more than 176 reviews, with recurring criticism of derivative storytelling, a weak third act, and distracting CGI in the film’s climactic sequence [2, 5].

The press cycle added a separate flashpoint. In a March interview, Alcock said that “simply existing as a woman in that space is something that people comment on.” When audience pushback followed, she doubled down in a Variety interview: “I didn’t even say ‘men’ — I said ‘people!’ And they got so angry. I was like, ‘You’re proving my point.’” The exchange drew significant media coverage and became a recurring reference point in debates about box office tracking and celebrity marketing [4].

Why It Sucks:

DC Fans

• The lead is great. The movie around her isn’t. Critics broadly agree that Alcock delivers a compelling Kara Zor-El, yet the film itself is described as “derivative and messy” — meaning a genuinely promising DCU actress gets stranded in a weak vehicle that squanders the goodwill built by last summer’s Superman [2, 5].
• The franchise math is already shaky again. A $170 million production tracking to open well below $55 million domestic raises immediate questions about whether the Gunn-Safran DCU can sustain itself, and whether Alcock’s Supergirl gets a second film or gets quietly sidelined [1, 3].
• Toy Story 5 is eating everyone’s lunch. Opening in the shadow of a record-breaking Pixar sequel that had already cleared $200 million domestic before Supergirl even debuted is brutal timing; superhero fatigue and family-film dominance are compressing the film’s ceiling regardless of quality [1].

Culture Commentators and Alienated Moviegoers

• The press tour cost tickets at the box office. Analysts tracking the box office slide from an initial $55 million-plus forecast down to $40 million to $55 million have pointed to Alcock’s March comments as a turning point; OutKick reported the remarks coincided with tracking projections that now put the film on course for a $200 million-plus loss for the studio [4].
• Doubling down extended the damage. When Alcock responded to criticism by saying her critics were “proving her point,” the story cycled back into the press for another round; from this perspective, the star turned a one-week controversy into a months-long liability that reinforced the perception that the film’s marketing was more interested in a cultural argument than in selling a blockbuster [4].
• A potential audience felt targeted rather than invited. From this view, moviegoers who want a fun summer blockbuster — without a side of social commentary from the lead — concluded that the film was not made for them; the box office tracking reflects that conclusion more than it reflects any verdict on the film’s actual content [4].

Women in Film Advocates

• Any stumble by a female lead becomes a referendum on female leads. Film industry observers have documented repeatedly that underperformance by films starring women is used to argue against greenlighting future female-led projects, while comparable underperformance by male-led tentpoles is written off as a one-off; a soft Supergirl opening will be used as ammunition for years [2, 5].
• The “controversy” was mild observation meeting manufactured outrage. What Alcock actually said — that existing as a woman in the superhero space draws comment — is a well-documented reality supported by years of harassment campaigns directed at female leads in comic book franchises; framing it as a “PR disaster” replicates the very dynamic she described [4].
• Critics praised her. The film’s problems are directorial and structural. Variety’s own review called the movie “so flat it’s Super-Horrendous” while specifically praising Alcock’s performance — meaning the argument that her press tour killed the box office requires ignoring the simpler explanation that a $270 million film delivered a 57 percent Rotten Tomatoes score [2, 3].

Sources & Citations:

[1] Deadline: Box Office — ‘Supergirl’ Eyes $40M-$50M Opening In Wake of ‘Toy Story 5’
[2] Variety: ‘Supergirl’ Review — A Dystopian Superhero Movie So Flat It’s Super-Horrendous
[3] Deadline: ‘Supergirl’ — Ad Partners Driving Record $100M+ Campaign for DC Movie
[4] OutKick: Milly Alcock Remarks — New Tracking Shows ‘Supergirl’ on Track for $200M Loss
[5] Hollywood Reporter: ‘Supergirl’ Review — Milly Alcock Steps Into the Suit of Superman’s Cuz