Here’s How DCU’s ‘Supergirl’ Stacks Up Against Other Female-Led Comic Book Movies

Superhero movies built around women have had a rocky, occasionally spectacular history at the box office, ranging from era-defining hits to some of the genre’s most infamous flops. That history just added a new chapter, and the numbers being circulated this week paint a picture that is equal parts triumphant and troubling, depending on which angle you look at it from.

Ranking of the highest grossing female led comic book movies of all time puts Brie Larson’s ‘Captain Marvel’ at the top with 1.1 billion dollars, followed by ‘Wakanda Forever’ at 859 million and ‘Wonder Woman’ at 823 million. Further down the list sit ‘Thunderbolts’ at 382 million, ‘Black Widow’ at 379 million, ‘The Marvels’ at 206 million, ‘Birds of Prey’ at 205 million, and ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ at 166 million.

The entry generating the most conversation, though, is the newest one. ‘Supergirl‘ currently sits at the bottom of the list with 100 million dollars, marked as still playing in theaters, and that placement says a lot about where the DC Universe’s latest theatrical bet currently stands.

Milly Alcock stars as Kara Zor El in the film, which follows her character on an interstellar quest for vengeance and justice alongside an alien companion named Ruthye after tragedy strikes close to home. The movie opened domestically on June 26 and quickly became one of the more closely watched box office stories of the summer, not for record breaking numbers but for the opposite reason.

‘Supergirl’ debuted with roughly 37 to 38 million dollars domestically and around 62 to 70 million dollars worldwide in its opening weekend, numbers that fell short of even the revised expectations studios had set going in. The film reportedly cost between 170 and 186 million dollars to produce, on top of a marketing campaign that pushed spending well past 100 million dollars, giving it a break even point that most estimates place somewhere around 300 million dollars worldwide.

Things did not improve much in week two. The film suffered a domestic drop of around 74 percent in its sophomore weekend, one of the steepest second weekend collapses ever recorded for a superhero comic book adaptation, landing behind only ‘The Marvels’ and ‘Joker, Folie à Deux’ in that unfortunate category.

Reviews for the film have been mixed to positive rather than glowing, with critics praising Alcock’s performance while noting the movie never fully commits to its edgier instincts. Analysts have pointed out that Supergirl was always going to be a tough sell as a franchise headliner, since the character has never previously carried a successful blockbuster, with her only prior solo film being the 1984 flop starring Helen Slater.

Industry estimates now suggest ‘Supergirl’ could ultimately lose somewhere between 80 and 125 million dollars during its theatrical run, a sobering outcome for the second major theatrical release in the rebooted DC Universe following last year’s ‘Superman.’ That film, by comparison, went on to become one of DC’s more solid modern performers, which makes the gap between the two projects even more noticeable to industry watchers.

Where ‘Supergirl’ ultimately lands on this all-time list will depend heavily on its remaining theatrical legs and how strongly it performs once it reaches streaming and home video. For now, its current placement is a reminder that even with a built-in comic book pedigree and a rising star in the lead role, box office success for these films is far from guaranteed.

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