‘Supergirl’ Opens to Shaky Thursday Previews and Rotten Reviews — But Milly Alcock Is Not the Problem

The DC Universe has been riding high ever since last summer’s ‘Superman’ rebooted the franchise with style and genuine goodwill, making the arrival of its follow-up one of the more anticipated superhero events of the year.

‘Supergirl‘ brings Milly Alcock to the center of her own standalone cosmic adventure, adapting Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s acclaimed ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow’ comic run under the direction of Craig Gillespie. After months of tracking shifts, trailer debates, and online discourse that reached unusually heated levels even by superhero-film standards, the film has finally landed in theaters.

The film received Fan First Screenings on Wednesday, June 24, followed by Thursday previews, before the official North American opening on Friday, June 26, with international release also beginning on June 24. The anticipation was real, but the early signals suggest the Girl of Steel has arrived carrying more turbulence than her predecessor.

The box office picture has been steadily losing altitude. Three weeks ago, ‘Supergirl’ was tracking to earn around $55 million in its opening weekend, a lackluster number already considering that projected tally was less than half of what ‘Superman’ earned on its own debut. That figure kept sliding.

Variety now projects the film to earn between $47 million and $50 million from 3,600 venues in its debut, while ‘Toy Story 5’ is expected to tower above with an estimated $80 million to $90 million in its second weekend. Thursday preview figures of $6.5 million, or $8.25 million including early shows, are pointing toward a weekend in the $40 million range.

The critical reception tells a story that is both familiar and frustrating for DC fans. ‘Supergirl’ opened with a divided critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the film sitting at 58% based on 195 reviews. By comparison, other recent DCU entries fared considerably better, with ‘Creature Commandos’ holding a 95% score, ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 a 94%, and last year’s ‘Superman’ an 83%. On Metacritic, the film has registered at 49%, placing it squarely in mixed territory.

The recurring theme in reviews is one the studio probably does not want to hear but probably already knows. The near-universal bright spot in critical notices is Alcock’s performance, with reviewers pointing to her ability to turn familiar themes of grief and belonging into something affecting and endearing. Reviews also point to a range of recurring weaknesses including flat pacing, generic action sequences, underdeveloped visual effects, an unmemorable villain, and tonal inconsistency, alongside criticism of screenwriter Ana Nogueira’s script.

Jason Momoa makes his debut as Lobo, with the Hollywood Reporter calling the character amusing if underused, while other critics noted his scenes serve as a reminder that the best use of Momoa is letting him be completely unhinged. The story follows Kara as she travels the cosmos with her dog Krypto, and when she encounters an alien girl named Ruthye, she reluctantly joins her on a quest for vengeance and justice against the villain Krem of the Yellow Hills, played by Matthias Schoenaerts.

David Corenswet’s Superman also makes appearances throughout the film. As teased in the trailers, Corenswet’s Man of Steel checks in with his cousin periodically, including an ending scene that sets up next summer’s ‘Superman: Man of Tomorrow’, though there is nothing waiting after the credits.

The deeper concern for James Gunn and Peter Safran’s wider project is what a soft opening and divided reception means for the momentum they carefully built with ‘Superman’. ‘Supergirl’ carries a production budget of $170 million before marketing, and the rumored break-even point sits at around $315 million worldwide, with overseas forecasts currently between $27 million and $39 million.

A Forbes report had floated a $200 million production cost, which Gunn flatly dismissed as not even a little bit true, with industry listings pegging the figure closer to $170 million.

Alcock is set to reprise the role in ‘Man of Tomorrow’, which is currently in production, so this is far from the end of Kara Zor-El’s story regardless of how the opening weekend shakes out. The consensus among critics is clear enough. The film’s biggest problem is not its star. Alcock appears ready to carry a franchise. The question is whether the material around her will eventually rise to meet her.

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