Megyn Kelly called the new “Supergirl” movie a failure at the box office, linking its disappointing opening to what she says is audience fatigue with female-led superhero films. In the same breath, she criticized lead actress Milly Alcock over past comments on
The “Supergirl” movie opened with a jolt that didn’t turn into momentum. Its domestic debut landed at $38 million in studio estimates released Sunday, June 28, far below expectations that had pointed closer to $50 million.
Megyn Kelly, the former Fox News anchor, didn’t miss the opening-weekend slip. On a June 29 episode of “The Megyn Kelly Show. ” the host. 55. framed the performance as proof that audiences are growing tired of female-led superhero stories she says feel “not authentic” or “not organic.” She argued that studios are counting on viewers to support a genre simply because the lead character is a woman.
“We’re over the forced-upon-us girlboss era,” Kelly said. “We’re no longer buying it. It’s not that women can’t be empowered and fierce and all the great things. It’s just, stop forcing it on us in the form of ‘Supergirl.’”
Even before box office numbers settled into a pattern. Kelly broadened the criticism from the genre to the actor playing Kara Zor-El. Superman’s cousin. Milly Alcock—who explained that playing Kara Zor-El is the closest she’s felt to playing herself in the movie “Supergirl”—became the target of Kelly’s second attack: a claim that Alcock helped create the film’s troubles.
Kelly pointed to remarks Alcock made in a March interview with Vanity Fair. In that conversation. Alcock said her experience working on the “Game of Thrones” prequel series made her aware that “simply existing as a woman in that space is something that people comment on.” She added that people have become “very comfortable having this weird ownership of women’s bodies. ” and that she “can’t really stop them” but can only “be myself.”.
Kelly mocked those comments, saying, “You were in light porn. ‘Game of Thrones’ is soft porn. Who does she think she’s kidding?”
She then criticized Alcock again on physical appearance. arguing that the actress doesn’t match the image the movie asks audiences to accept. Kelly said. “This woman looks like she’s 5 foot.” She followed up with a jab at online claims about Alcock’s height. adding. “Online. they say she’s 5’5′. If she’s 5’1′, it’s a miracle. She’s very weirdly small, and they want us to believe she’s this fierce, super[hero].”.
“No, she was in ‘Game of Thrones.’ She was very weird-looking, and she created problems for herself,” Kelly continued.
Kelly’s comments landed alongside additional context about Alcock’s television role. Alcock played young Rhaenyra Targaryen in the HBO series “House of the Dragon,” which premiered its third season on June 21. Emma D’Arcy plays the adult version of the character across all three seasons.
The economic stakes tied to these remarks are straightforward: the film’s theatrical runway now looks constrained. The “Supergirl” movie—described as the latest DC film and starring Milly Alcock as Superman’s cousin—stands to lose anywhere between $100 million and $120 million in its theatrical run. according to figures reported by Variety.
With the opening weekend at $38 million against a higher domestics forecast. the conversation quickly turned from box office math to cultural fault lines—how women are depicted. how audiences respond. and how much blame should land on the actors themselves. For Kelly, the numbers weren’t just disappointing; they were proof that the “forced” framing wasn’t working.
Alcock, meanwhile, has positioned her “Supergirl” role as personally resonant—“the closest she’s felt to playing herself”—setting up a clash between a star’s intent and a critic’s conclusion.
Supergirl box office Megyn Kelly Milly Alcock DC film Kara Zor-El domestic box office $38 million House of the Dragon Vanity Fair interview Rhaenyra Targaryen