Supergirl opens – Milly Alcock’s “Supergirl” debuted with $38 million domestically, falling short of expectations and trailing other recent DC films and blockbuster targets. With the DC Universe reset still finding its footing, the performance intensifies pressure heading into
For a studio betting on a fresh start, “Supergirl” began the wrong way.
Milly Alcock’s new DC entry opened to $38 million at the domestic box office over its debut weekend, according to studio estimates released Sunday, June 28. The figure put the film in second place behind “Toy Story 5,” which easily repeated at No. 1 in its second weekend with $70 million.
The problem wasn’t just the placement. It was the gap between what “Supergirl” delivered and what it was widely expected to do. The movie was anticipated to start closer to $50 million domestically—an outcome that would have still marked a steep drop from the $125 million opening of 2025’s “Superman. ” in which Alcock’s Supergirl was introduced through a cameo appearance.
Compared with other recent DC releases, the debut landed on the bearish side. “Supergirl” came in below the $55 million opening of “The Flash” and roughly in line with “Joker: Folie à Deux,” which opened to about $37 million—both films that turned into box office bombs.
That matters because the DC Universe reset was meant to reverse years of financial disappointment and close the gap with Marvel at the theater. Before the reboot, the final four DC films released prior to the franchise overhaul—“Shazam!. Fury of the Gods,” “The Flash,” “Blue Beetle,” and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”—were all box office disappointments.
When “Superman” arrived in 2025, it provided the kind of proof DC’s reset was supposed to deliver. The film introduced David Corenswet as Clark Kent and was directed by DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn. It performed well in theaters, grossing more than $600 million worldwide.
But “Supergirl” now puts that momentum into question.
The bigger picture is also starting to look like shifting audience behavior. The weaker debut underscores the idea that moviegoers may be increasingly selective about which superhero stories they’ll take to theaters—especially when the characters aren’t built around the kind of mainstream draw that carries franchises such as Spider-Man. Superman. or Deadpool. Marvel has run into that same problem with movies built around less marquee heroes. including “Thunderbolts*. ” which failed to ignite the box office.
Reviews have added pressure. While “Superman” received largely positive reception, “Supergirl” landed with mixed reviews. CinemaScore polling gave “Supergirl” an average grade of B-, a weak score for a tentpole superhero movie. “Superman,” by comparison, received an A-.
The film’s plot centers on Alcock’s title hero as she tries to save her poisoned dog, Krypto, while teaming up with a young girl seeking revenge against a villain who killed her parents. David Corenswet also returns briefly as Superman.
All of those factors land together at a delicate time for the slate. “Supergirl” comes after a year where DC’s shared universe debuted with strength. and it now arrives while the studio is still trying to prove that the reboot isn’t just a one-off success. The domestic debut of $38 million. the expectation miss from a projected $50 million. and the B- CinemaScore combine into a message the box office can’t ignore—especially with the next major DC test already scheduled.
Next up for the DC Universe is “Clayface,” a horror film about the titular Batman villain set for release in October. Because it’s described as a lower-budget movie, it comes with different box office expectations and won’t need to perform like a blockbuster to be profitable.
That said, the stakes rise again after that.
After “Clayface. ” the next major shift is “Man of Tomorrow. ” the sequel to “Superman” that brings back Corenswet as Clark Kent alongside Alcock. reprising her role of Supergirl. Set for release in July 2027. it will be a major test of whether “Supergirl” disappointing in theaters is a temporary stumble—or something closer to a longer-term problem for the DC brand.
If the shared universe struggles continue, DC still has an alternate fallback.
“The Batman: Part II. ” a DC movie existing in a separate continuity from the main DC Universe. is scheduled to finally hit theaters in October 2027 after years of delays. With Robert Pattinson returning as Bruce Wayne. it has a track record to lean on: the 2022 first film collected nearly $800 million worldwide.
For now, “Supergirl” has already forced a new question onto the table—one DC can’t afford to keep answering on the same terms: can the new universe keep building, or is the rebound stalling just when it needed to accelerate?
Supergirl box office Milly Alcock DC Universe Toy Story 5 David Corenswet James Gunn CinemaScore B- Man of Tomorrow release date Clayface October 2026 The Batman: Part II October 2027
Only 38 million?? Supergirl is cursed lol.
I didn’t even hear much about it and then everyone says it’s “DC reboot” blah blah. 50 million was the expectation? Sounds like they just assumed people would show up cause it’s Supergirl.
Wait I’m confused—didn’t Toy Story 5 come out like a week ago? And then it’s already repeating? That part feels like the real story, not the Supergirl numbers. Also if The Flash and Joker both bombed maybe DC should stop counting on the universe “reset” thing.
This is what happens when they don’t commit to the same cast or whatever. I’m pretty sure people came for Superman cameo last time and now it’s like… okay where’s that energy. Also 38 million isn’t “weak” to me, it’s just not what they wanted, which is annoying because studios act like anything under 100 is failure.