Warner Bros. and DC Studios' latest cinematic offering, 'Supergirl', has experienced a disappointing start at the global box office, falling short of financial expectations in its opening weekend. The film, which centres on Superman's cousin, Kara Zor-El, debuted with an estimated $38 million in North America and a worldwide total of $68 million. This figure considerably missed its projected domestic target of $55 million for its initial weekend.
The underperformance is particularly notable as 'Supergirl's' opening weekend figures are even lower than those of the 2022 superhero movie 'Morbius', which garnered $39.1 million in North America despite widespread negative reviews and a confusing plot. 'Morbius', though not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, became infamous for its critical and commercial failure. 'Supergirl', starring 'House of the Dragon' breakout Milly Alcock in the titular role, now faces an uphill battle to recoup its substantial $170 million production budget, which does not include marketing costs.
The film's struggles come despite the recent success of James Gunn's 'Superman', which grossed a massive $125 million on its opening weekend last summer and became the highest-grossing superhero film of 2025. Following 'Superman's' strong performance, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav had expressed confidence in the rebooted DC Universe's ambitious 10-year plan for its superhero slate. However, 'Supergirl's' character, while making a cameo in the 2025 'Superman' film, is not as widely recognised as her male counterpart, a factor that may have contributed to its lukewarm reception.
Adding to its woes, 'Supergirl', directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, has been met with largely unfavourable reviews, holding a low 56 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer. Critics have described the film as 'ugly' and 'dispiriting', with some lamenting the strong character being let down by a 'listless' environment.
The superhero movie also faced stiff competition in cinemas. Disney and Pixar's 'Toy Story 5' maintained its top spot at the box office, pulling in an impressive $70 million in its second weekend. The indie horror film 'Obsession' secured the third position, ahead of another new release, 'Jackass: Best and Last', which also struggled domestically with $8.4 million in sales. The DC Universe plans to continue its cinematic releases with 'Clayface' in October, a film reportedly made with a significantly smaller budget of $40 million.