‘Supergirl’ Box Office Stumble Gets Even Bleaker As International Numbers Take A Hit

DC Studios entered the summer with cautious optimism after last year’s surprise hit with ‘Superman,’ hoping the momentum would carry into its next chapter. Milly Alcock stepped into the cape as Kara Zor-El, bringing a fresh, punky energy to a character who has had a rocky history on the big screen. Anticipation was high, especially with Jason Momoa joining the ensemble as the rowdy bounty hunter Lobo.

The film, directed by Craig Gillespie from a script by Ana Nogueira, arrived in theaters this past weekend as the second installment in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s relaunched DC Universe. Early buzz had suggested a domestic opening somewhere in the $50 million range, a number that would have positioned ‘Supergirl‘ as a confident follow up to ‘Superman’ and its $618.7 million worldwide haul.

That confidence did not translate to ticket sales. ‘Supergirl’ opened domestically with $38 million and a global weekend total of $68 million, falling well short of the studio’s internal expectations heading into release.

Making matters worse, a closer look at the international breakdown shows the overseas performance was even softer than the headline number suggested, with actuals reportedly trimmed down by close to five million dollars once final figures came in.

According to box office tracking shared online, ‘Supergirl’ grossed roughly 25.5 million dollars on its five day opening across 78 international markets. For context against other recent DC theatrical releases, that places it below ‘Madame Web,’ ‘Shazam, Fury of the Gods,’ ‘Morbius,’ ‘Birds of Prey,’ ‘The Marvels,’ and ‘The Flash,’ all of which posted stronger five day overseas debuts. The only DC title from the last two decades to open weaker internationally was ‘Blue Beetle.’

Even ‘Wonder Woman 1984,’ a film that debuted during the pandemic with severely limited theater capacity across just 39 markets, managed to outgross ‘Supergirl’ overseas during a comparable stretch. That comparison has become a sobering talking point among box office watchers trying to make sense of how a major comic book adaptation, backed by a recognizable IP and a starry cast, struggled to connect with international audiences right out of the gate.

Domestically, ‘Supergirl’ carries a production budget reported between 170 to 186 million dollars, not including marketing costs, which only raises the stakes further. Variety reported the film would need to gross around 375 million dollars worldwide just to break even. With a combined global opening sitting around 62 to 68 million dollars, nearly 20 million below the industry’s already conservative projections of 80 million, the road to profitability looks considerably steeper than anyone at Warner Bros. likely hoped.

Reception for the film has been mixed at best, which has not helped its cause. ‘Supergirl’ currently sits at a 57 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, and the film received a B- CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences, a notable step down from the A- that ‘Superman’ earned the previous year. The Hollywood Reporter’s chief film critic called it an “uninspired slog,” though he singled out Alcock’s performance as the film’s strongest asset.

For fans hoping ‘Supergirl’ would replicate the cultural momentum of ‘Superman,’ the numbers paint a more complicated picture of where the rebooted DC Universe currently stands. Alcock’s portrayal of Kara Zor-El has drawn praise even from critics who were lukewarm on the film overall, and that goodwill could matter as the franchise plots its next moves. Up next on the DC slate is the body horror film ‘Clayface’ this October, followed by the Superman sequel ‘Man of Tomorrow’ next summer, both of which will be watched closely for signs of whether this slower start was a blip or a trend.

It is worth remembering that opening weekend numbers do not always tell the full story for franchise films, especially ones with merchandising, streaming, and home video revenue still ahead of them. Still, the gap between projections and actual performance, both domestically and now even more so internationally, has given industry analysts plenty to dissect in the days following release.

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