SUPERGIRL Test Screening Reports Are Mostly Positive; New Details On Lobo And Movie's "Underwhelming" Villain

SUPERGIRL Test Screening Reports Are Mostly Positive; New Details On Lobo And Movie's "Underwhelming" Villain

The first reactions from early Supergirl test screenings have landed, and as well as providing insights into the runtime and characters, it sounds like the movie is good...but not great.

By JoshWilding - Dec 17, 2025 04:12 PM EST
Filed Under: Supergirl

With Supergirl set to swoop into theaters next summer, it appears DC Studios has already started testing the movie (similar to Superman, don't be surprised if a detailed plot outline eventually finds its way online).

Daniel Richtman was first to report that a test screening took place yesterday, revealing that he's "heard nothing but good things from several people." However, trailer and runtime leaker @Cryptic4KQual has brought us down to Earth with a bump.

"Yes, Supergirl had a test screening," the insider shared. "Roughly 2 hours 5 mins. From what I heard, [the] feedback was not that great, but it wasn't a bad film. Some scenes shined alot more than others. Milly is praised for her acting in the role. Lobo has 2 fights. The villain is underwhelming."

Superman also received mixed reviews from test screenings, but ultimately managed to score 83% on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer and won over fans in a big way. As always, it's best not to put too much stock into these early reactions, even if they obviously offer an idea of what to expect.

Lobo having two fight scenes is exciting, seeing as this is just his DCU introduction. Unfortunately, Krem of the Yellow Hills being branded "underwhelming" doesn't come as a huge surprise when The Old Guard star Matthias Schoenaerts has been tapped to play what looks like a very generic take on the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow villain if the trailer was any indication.

As for that runtime, we'd bet on it continuing to change in the months ahead. Being good, not great, may be enough for Supergirl, given how much the DCEU struggled (the news that Alcock seemingly steals the show is a big win, too).

Remember, the point of a test screening is to figure out what does and doesn't work, so DC Studios can now figure that out, make the necessary changes, and perhaps even reshape parts of the movie with reshoots. Schoenaerts likely won't be available for those, of course.

In related news, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has shared a holiday card featuring Superman, Supergirl, and Krypto in the Fortress of Solitude. You can check that out at the bottom of this article.

Supergirl, DC Studios' newest feature film to hit the big screen, arrives in theaters worldwide next summer from Warner Bros. Pictures, and stars Milly Alcock in the dual role of Supergirl/Kara Zor-El. Craig Gillespie directs the film from a screenplay by Ana Nogueira.

When an unexpected and ruthless adversary strikes too close to home, Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, reluctantly joins forces with an unlikely companion on an epic, interstellar journey of vengeance and justice. Alcock stars alongside Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, and Jason Momoa.

The film is executive produced by Nigel Gostelow, Chantal Nong Vo and Lars P. Winther. Behind the camera, Gillespie is joined by director of photography Rob Hardy, production designer Neil Lamont, editor Tatiana S. Riegel, costume designer Anna B. Sheppard, Visual Effects Supervisor Geoffrey Baumann, and composer Ramin Djawadi.

Supergirl arrives in theaters on June 26, 2026.

About The Author:
JoshWilding
Member Since 3/13/2009
Comic Book Reader. Film Lover. WWE and F1 Fan. Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and ComicBookMovie.com's #1 contributor.
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InfinitePunches
InfinitePunches - 12/17/2025, 4:18 PM
Yeah. It's a Tom King story. You were expecting a riveting epic?
SteviesRightFoo
SteviesRightFoo - 12/17/2025, 4:20 PM
Gunn doesnt get these characters
jst5
jst5 - 12/17/2025, 7:06 PM
@SteviesRightFoo - What??You don't think a Superman movie where the dog is pretty much the a overpowered "Robin" who saves Superman numerous times isn't great?

The DCU is just as big of turd as the DCEU was.
SteviesRightFoo
SteviesRightFoo - 12/18/2025, 6:11 AM
@jst5 - unfortunately, i agree. 2 garbage universes in a row is a sick joke
GeneralZod
GeneralZod - 12/17/2025, 4:21 PM
"From what I heard, [the] feedback was not that great, but it wasn't a bad film."

So, it's like 3.6 Roentgen.
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FireCanon
FireCanon - 12/17/2025, 4:21 PM
What?! They were under whelmed by the iconic DC villain... *checks smudged writing on hand* Kronk of the Mellow Pills?
SteviesRightFoo
SteviesRightFoo - 12/17/2025, 4:27 PM
@WalletsEmpty - 🤣🤣. Imagine picking this as your second film in a universe. Its so stupid it almost defies belief.
FireCanon
FireCanon - 12/17/2025, 4:45 PM
@SteviesRightFoo - They could have done the Red Lantern arc with Atrocitus as the villain. Eclipso, Felix Faust, Galatea. So many options. Hell, even the witch from the 80s movie presented an interesting threat.

Tom King must have dirt on Jim Lee. How he consistantly gets his grubby little war criminal hands on every major DC character is beyond me.
asherman93
asherman93 - 12/17/2025, 7:55 PM
@WalletsEmpty - Or it could be that they're saving the Red Lantern arc and other villains for future stories, rather than jumping into something major at the start for her.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 12/18/2025, 5:29 AM
@SteviesRightFoo - After the film we got as the first film in the universe? With a Justice gang, rando kaijus etc.... smh.
HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 12/17/2025, 4:22 PM
.
XenoJazz
XenoJazz - 12/17/2025, 5:13 PM
@HashTagSwagg - 🤣
FireCanon
FireCanon - 12/17/2025, 4:24 PM
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krayzeman
krayzeman - 12/17/2025, 4:28 PM
Well well well. Look at this website already trying to push a narrative over...test screenings. A thousand things can change between now and then hence the reason for "test screenings." Smh
EskimoJ
EskimoJ - 12/17/2025, 4:51 PM
@krayzeman - What narrative are they pushing?
Urubrodi
Urubrodi - 12/18/2025, 3:44 AM
@krayzeman - What narrative? lol it’s just an article pointing out the FACT that the test screening wasn’t very successful. The whole point of a test screening is to gauge how the general public will feel about the movie.
Apophis71
Apophis71 - 12/18/2025, 5:25 AM
@Urubrodi - A second hand at best rumour is a rumour not a fact unless/until proven to be true or false but also this is only reported opinions with two scoopers saying the exact opposite of each other meaning one of them likely wrong or at least both misleading.

Ultimately early days for test screenings six months out so a lot of the CGI wouldn't be complete and a lot of tweaks could be made so any opinions on them relatively meaningless.
Urubrodi
Urubrodi - 12/18/2025, 6:07 AM
@Apophis71 - Yeah, it doesn't mean that the movie will be bad (although that trailer was not promising at all) but also it doesn't give much hope.
krayzeman
krayzeman - 12/19/2025, 9:27 AM
@Apophis71 - Exactly.
bcom
bcom - 12/17/2025, 4:34 PM
What people need to understand about test screenings, especially for a movie 6 months out from release, is that they're designed to gauge what works and what doesn't with audiences, then tweaks and reshoots are planned and done. This happens for almost all movies and many great movies may have also had poor initial test screenings. I wouldn't take what's said in this article as a reflection of what the final movie will be like.
PS118
PS118 - 12/17/2025, 7:09 PM
@bcom -
THIS.

Also the chi is usually unfinished.
PS118
PS118 - 12/17/2025, 7:09 PM
@bcom - *CGII
PS118
PS118 - 12/17/2025, 7:12 PM
@bcom -

*cgi

Man, my spellcheck hates me
BackwardGalaxy
BackwardGalaxy - 12/17/2025, 4:39 PM
Superman was fine. That it sparked outrage is bizarre to me. It's not great. It's not bad. It's fine.

Sounds like this will also be just.... fine.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 12/18/2025, 12:07 PM
@BackwardGalaxy - 10 users on cbm.com is not outrage
FireCanon
FireCanon - 12/17/2025, 4:51 PM
User Comment Image

Who's excited for Tom King's Lanterns, followed by Tom King's Supergirl, followed by Tom King's Mister Miracle?

I wonder if the Brave and the Bold will be an adaptation of Batman: The (almost) Wedding.
EnergyVamp
EnergyVamp - 12/17/2025, 4:52 PM
More MID stories to kick off the DCU. Great! Can't wait!
krayzeman
krayzeman - 12/17/2025, 4:59 PM
@EnergyVamp - To be fair except for Iron Man 1 and the first Avengers movie the movies put out in that firrst MCU phase were mid
PS118
PS118 - 12/17/2025, 7:14 PM
@krayzeman - THIS.

IM2 was mid, Thor was mid, and I love CAFA but more people thought it too, was mid at the time.
bcom
bcom - 12/17/2025, 8:12 PM
@krayzeman - To be honest, I know a lot of people, myself included, that only saw all the phase 1 movies so I could see the set up for the first Avengers movie. There's not a single phase 1 movie I would watch again because I enjoyed them.
krayzeman
krayzeman - 12/19/2025, 9:25 AM
@bcom - Same here. The First Avenger was just a slight step above mid but I loved the way that movie ended with Peggy and him saying goodbye and then him waking up. I applaud Marvel for not diving straight into the Avengers and taking the time to set that movie up unlike what Justice League did with their movie. I know Marvel execs REALLY wanted too though! lol
cyclopstb
cyclopstb - 12/17/2025, 4:53 PM
As a Superman fan, James Gunn's Superman never win me over at all.
AlexGSpeaks
AlexGSpeaks - 12/17/2025, 5:12 PM
To be fair, the villain was pretty underwhelming in the comic too. The story was more about the journey, not the destination.
whoknows
whoknows - 12/18/2025, 12:42 AM
@AlexGSpeaks - I was scrolling here to say your exact words. It really was more about the space adventure. I dont get all the hate I see on this site. Tbh from I first read the comic, before gunn ever announced he wanted to make it, I felt the tone of guardians of the galaxy. So to see it live action and it has that tone, to me is fitting but for everyone its like omg another guardians-esque movie. All in all the most important part of the story is how her personality and drive differs from superman and the difference in loss & trauma from losing her people and planet. They seem to be exploring those themes & emotions in the trailer so they have the backbone of the comic, and thats already a win for me.
ElJefe
ElJefe - 12/17/2025, 5:13 PM
I always picture test screenings as being full of self-important unemployed entertainment biz wannabes who over analyze, hyper criticize, and ultimately just try to justify their opinions with nonsense.

But I had a bad day so …. maybe I just need a G&T.
Lokiwasright
Lokiwasright - 12/17/2025, 5:20 PM
Space adventure.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 12/17/2025, 5:42 PM
Honestly going by the teaser , I felt it was going to be good but that’s it which still isn’t bad by any means imo since it’s hard enough to make a decent film as it is…

Not surprised by Krem being deemed underdeveloped & such because he’s pretty much just there as an excuse for Ruthye & Kara’s journey and arc then a real character himself in the comic.

Also I expect Lobo to be a cameo at best but still cool that he might have 2 fight scenes at the least so we’ll see.

Anyway , looking forward to the film!!.
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