The ‘Superman’ vs. ‘Supergirl’ Box Office Battle Reveals a Surprising DCU Reality

The DC Universe has officially given fans two Kryptonian blockbusters within the span of a year, and the numbers tell a story that nobody quite expected. James Gunn’s ‘Superman‘ soared into theaters first, and now Milly Alcock’s ‘Supergirl‘ has landed with its own opening weekend receipts, setting the stage for an inevitable cousin versus cousin comparison.

Between critics scores, audience reactions, and hard box office data, the gap between these two cape stories is wider than fans might assume. Here is how the Man of Steel and the Girl of Steel actually stack up against each other.

‘Superman’ vs. ‘Supergirl’ Critics Scores

On Rotten Tomatoes, ‘Superman’ currently holds an 83 percent critics score across 502 reviews, alongside a strong 90 percent audience score from more than 25,000 verified ratings where the critics consensus praises the film for fleshing out a dynamic new world while putting its champion’s big beating heart front and center.

‘Supergirl’ tells a very different critical story, sitting at a much cooler 58 percent from 197 reviews, with audiences slightly more forgiving at a 77 percent score from over 500 verified ratings . Critic David Fear praised the film’s tone, while Empire’s Leila Latif wrote that Milly Alcock’s hungover hero is delightful, even if the film never truly cuts loose .

Not every reviewer was kind, with outlet Rogers TV calling the action sluggish and incoherent, though even that critic conceded star Milly Alcock does the heavy lifting . The split suggests ‘Superman’ connected with mainstream critics in a way ‘Supergirl’ simply has not, at least not yet.

Box Office Numbers Tell Their Own Story

‘Superman’ opened domestically to 125 million dollars and has since climbed to a domestic total of 354.2 million dollars . Internationally the film added another 264.5 million dollars, pushing its global haul to 618.7 million dollars worldwide.

‘Supergirl’ debuted in 3,602 theaters and opened to 18.4 million dollars on its first Friday, before settling into a domestic three day total of 37.1 million dollars . The daily breakdown shows a steep drop, falling 41.3 percent on Saturday and another 26.9 percent on Sunday, a pattern that signals front loaded interest rather than sustained momentum.

Combined with an international haul of 25.5 million dollars, ‘Supergirl’ has reached a worldwide total of 62.6 million dollars so far. That is a fraction of what ‘Superman’ had banked by this same point in its run, and it puts real pressure on the film’s legs in the weeks ahead.

Cast and Director Differences Shaping the Reception

‘Superman’ was written and directed by James Gunn, starring David Corenswet as the title hero opposite Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor . The film also introduced Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, rounding out a cast built to launch the wider DCU .

‘Supergirl’ shifted directing duties to Craig Gillespie, with James Gunn instead producing alongside Peter Safran, and a script credited to Ana Nogueira . Milly Alcock leads as Kara Zor-El, joined by Jason Momoa as Lobo, Eve Ridley as Ruthye Marye Knoll, and Matthias Schoenaerts .

Fan reaction has leaned heavily toward Momoa, with one audience reviewer calling his performance as Lobo the best part of the movie while describing the rest of the plot as a standard fetch quest . Another viewer compared the two films directly, saying they enjoyed ‘Superman’ for its cheesiness and campiness, while finding ‘Supergirl’ more forgettable by comparison .

What This Means for the DCU Going Forward

‘Superman’ runs 2 hours and 9 minutes against a reported 225 million dollar budget, and its 618.7 million dollar worldwide total represents a clear win for Warner Bros and DC Studios . The film’s strong critics score and the audience embrace of Krypto have made it the clear template for what a modern Superman story can look like.

‘Supergirl’ runs a leaner 1 hour and 48 minutes, and while its opening numbers are respectable for a character led spinoff, the steep weekend drop and the 58 percent critics score suggest the film is struggling to match its predecessor’s cultural momentum . Some fans on the Rotten Tomatoes audience boards have already pointed to pacing and a forgettable side character as sticking points, even as they praised Alcock and Momoa individually .

Whether ‘Supergirl’ can find its footing in the weeks ahead or settles in as the more divisive entry in the young DCU largely depends on word of mouth from here. With both films now on the board, which Kryptonian cousin actually earned your loyalty, Kara’s messier revenge story or Clark’s earnest return to form?