‘Supergirl’ Is a Certified Bomb
The tracking proved eerily prophetic, and Supergirl came crashing to Earth in its opening weekend. Domestically and globally, the DCU film performed far below expectations, breaking some very unpleasant records in the process against a reported $170 million budget that’s likely higher than anyone lets on.
It is such a massive bomb – grossing $38 million nationally and only $68 million internationally – that it did far worse than any of the worst openings for a comic-book movie in recent memory. This includes The Flash (which recent projections had it chasing), the similarly cosmic The Marvels, and Morbius, which was the butt of many jokes upon its 2022 release.
Supergirl isn’t doing any better than Joker: Folie à Deux, although their opening numbers are virtually tied. However, things are looking worse in the long term for the former. North Americans did not show up en masse for either, but Joker’s divisive sequel received more attention and drew a better overseas turnout, earning $114.8M globally in its debut.
Supergirl only raked in a disappointing $30M to add to its global opening tally. Earnings, attendance, and attention fell off dramatically throughout the weekend – cratering through Friday and into Saturday. Bringing in no higher than $11M reportedly, it trails Joker 2’s first Saturday by a small margin of $0.3M.
The numbers speak for themselves, but as a DCU entry, Supergirl is in a tougher spot. Folie à Deux was a sequel in a contained universe, while the current cape flapping in space at cinemas is the next chapter in the saga of a shared universe. If it can’t get off the ground, producer and DC Studios executive James Gunn looks to have a failed experiment on his hands.
Very vocal outlets expected this from the start, calling the DCU DOA when Gunn’s Superman arrived. The veracity of its financials has been questioned, but it was a rousing success compared to Peacemaker Season 2. John Cena’s third go in the helmet didn’t garner anything near the attention of the first season or The Suicide Squad, despite its premiere coinciding with Superman’s release on VOD.
Gunn’s DCU will still soldier along with Lanterns later this summer and Man of Tomorrow coming next year.
