DC Studios released the Craig Gillespie– directed “Supergirl” on June 26. Not only was the film marred by negative press that led to a less-than-stellar debut at the box office, but it also received mostly unfavorable reviews, despite critical praise. Milly Alcockthe representation of the main character.
Now, in its second weekend in theaters, “Supergirl” suffered a devastating 77% drop, marking one of the biggest declines for a superhero movie.
“Supergirl” fell to a disappointing No. 4 at the box office
According to Variety, early estimates for the July 4 weekend box office put “Supergirl” at just $9.6 million in the United States, ranking fourth. As mentioned, this represents a steep 74% drop from the weekend’s opening box office figures.
However, once the official numbers were released on Monday, it was confirmed that “Supergirl” only earned $8.6 million, a drop of 77 percent.
“Supergirl” remained on all 3,602 screens in the United States for its second weekend. Unfortunately for DC Studios, the film struggled from the start, grossing only $37.1 million in the United States during its first weekend in theaters. Including international audiences, “Supergirl” grossed $68 million, still making it one of the worst-performing films in DC Studios history.
Craig Gillespie-directed film set to lose $100 million at DC Studios
One of the problems with “Supergirl” and other recent superhero films that have failed at the box office is their huge budgets. Per Variety, it cost DC Studios $170 million to produce the film and another $120 million to promote it, meaning its break-even point is somewhere around $300 million.
During its theatrical run, the film is only expected to gross around $200 million, including international audiences. If this estimate is true, DC Studios stands to lose between $100 million and $120 million on the market. James Gunn-film produced.
Analyst Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations gave an overview of the situation. He told the outlet: “It was always going to be a difficult obstacle for DC and Warner Bros. because Supergirl is not a character that has ever created a blockbuster on an event level.”
He continued, “The public perception of ‘Supergirl’ wasn’t good. It’s just a case where the movie wasn’t good enough to become an event.”
DC Fans React to ‘Supergirl’ Second Weekend Release
The most recent version of “Supergirl” was first announced in 2023, with Alcock as the character. Following the initial announcement, enthusiasm was overwhelming. However, as the film got closer to release, doubts began to surface, especially once the trailers were released.
Now, after the film’s drastic 74% drop in its second weekend, many fans are pointing out “Supergirl’s” problems, including its budget. One person said: “Hollywood really thought a $170 million budget for a character no one asked for would save the DCU? Calculations aren’t calculations.”
Another person said, “Audiences these days won’t even tolerate a decent superhero movie. Unless the movie has good reviews or is a team-up nostalgia fest, they’ll just wait for it to air.”
Someone else criticized Gunn, writing: “Gunn probably thought men (the superhero movie’s primary audience) would love an alcoholic, drunken, vomiting Supergirl. We’d think she was approachable and ‘real’ compared to boyscout Superman.”
Finally, another social media user wrote: “Stop blaming the audience for their poor box office performance…”
There were creative differences behind the scenes of ‘Supergirl’
The Hollywood Reporter released a behind-the-scenes exclusive on “Supergirl” in July 2026. In it, sources told the outlet that there were disagreements in the film’s post-production process between the director, Gillespie, and Gunn, who was aligned with DC Studios and Pierre Safran.
Filming on “Supergirl” wrapped in May 2025, and according to the report, all parties involved knew there were serious problems with the film. This then led the studio to take charge of post-production, calling on the screenwriter Jeremy Slateralthough it is unclear to what extent he was involved in the process.
The screenwriter of the film, Ana Nogueirawas also involved in attempts to repair “Supergirl.”
There have been several test screenings
According to The Hollywood Reporter, DC Studios held the first test screening of “Supergirl” in December 2025 ahead of attempts to repair the film in post-production. In total, there were reportedly four drug tests, with insiders claiming scores, capped at 100, only reached 70.
After the first screening, the film was called “That’s OK”. Other test audiences reportedly saw the film in February and March.
