‘Supergirl’ Has a Rough Start as Opening Weekend Lands Below ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’

The opening weekend rollercoaster for DC Studios’ newest theatrical release has not been kind to anyone hoping for a triumphant rebound after last year’s ‘Superman.’ Milly Alcock’s debut as Kara Zor-El arrived with cautious optimism, buoyed by Jason Momoa’s scene stealing turn as Lobo and a built in audience eager to see where James Gunn and Peter Safran would take the DC Universe next.

Early projections had already softened in the days leading up to release, with industry watchers trimming expectations from the originally hoped-for 50 million dollar range down to something closer to 38 million. That alone felt like a letdown for a film carrying a price tag north of 170 million dollars before marketing costs are even factored in.

Now the final actuals are in, and they paint an even bleaker picture than the early estimates suggested. ‘Supergirl‘ closed its three day domestic opening weekend with 37.1 million dollars, a number that places it as the seventh lowest opening weekend for a DC film in the past twenty years, landing just above ‘Blue Beetle’ at 25 million and below comparable recent releases like ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,’ ‘Shazam, Fury of the Gods,’ and ‘Birds of Prey.’

The film also trails day and date pandemic releases such as ‘The Suicide Squad’ and ‘Wonder Woman 1984,’ both of which opened under severely restricted theater capacity.

The comparisons get harsher when stacked against other recent comic book adaptations more broadly. ‘Dark Phoenix,’ ‘Joker, Folie a Deux,’ ‘Morbius,’ ‘The Marvels,’ and ‘The Flash’ all managed stronger three-day domestic debuts than ‘Supergirl’ has now posted, a string of underperformers in their own right that makes this latest stumble all the more notable. Reviews have not done the film many favors either, with ‘Supergirl’ currently sitting at a 57 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and a B- CinemaScore from the audiences who did turn out, a noticeable dip from the A- grade ‘Superman’ earned the previous summer.

Breaking down the daily numbers shows a rough trajectory once the initial excitement of opening day wore off. The film brought in 7.8 million dollars across its Wednesday and Thursday previews, followed by 10.6 million in pure Friday business once previews are excluded, for a total opening day figure of 18.4 million. Saturday saw a slight uptick to 10.8 million, a modest 1.9 percent rise from pure Friday but still a steep 41.3 percent drop when measured against Friday’s combined previews and box office. Sunday continued the slide with 7.9 million, a 26.9 percent decline from Saturday.

There is, however, one small silver lining buried in the disappointing trend line. ‘Supergirl’ has officially become the highest grossing film led by the character in American box office history, and it only took one weekend to get there. The original 1984 ‘Supergirl’ film, starring Helen Slater, made just 14.3 million dollars across its entire theatrical run, a number this new version blew past before Sunday night even arrived.

It is a small victory dressed up in a much larger disappointment, and it speaks to just how low the bar was set by the character’s previous big screen outing more than four decades ago. With a budget north of 170 million dollars, Variety has reported the film needs to gross around 375 million dollars worldwide just to break even, a target that now feels considerably more daunting given how the domestic rollout has played out.

For DC Studios, the underwhelming reception adds another data point to an increasingly complicated narrative about whether the rebooted universe can consistently draw crowds outside of marquee names like Superman and Batman. Alcock’s performance has earned praise even from critics who were lukewarm on the film as a whole, which could matter for how the studio handles her character going forward. Whether ‘Supergirl’ finds its footing through word of mouth or settles into the same fate as other recent DC misfires remains to be seen as the weeks ahead unfold.

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