It's only Monday morning, and already, Hollywood is asking big questions of DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran after Supergirl landed with a thud at the box office this past weekend.
Not unlike Zack Snyder and the DCEU, the studio has followed up a moderately successful Superman movie with a critical and commercial flop (not to mention a slate of projects that has already started falling apart). Man of Tomorrow could be one of 2027's biggest hits, but this failure comes at a bad time: Paramount's $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
According to The Wrap, Supergirl needs to hit $315 million worldwide to break even, and that's a near-impossible feat for the DCU title. As the trade explains, Gunn's approach to highlighting lesser-known characters isn't paying off with audiences who are weary of superhero movies and no longer willing to give B-listers—like the Thunderbolts—their hard-earned money.
Gunn and Safran chose to make Supergirl the second DCU movie, which, as this report puts it, "was a somewhat odd choice, made stranger by the fact that the cast failed to net any major movie stars to serve as an extra draw." However, no one wanted to play Krem of the Yellow Hills, as "several" A-listers passed before the studio chose Matthias Schoenaerts in the hope he might drum up interest overseas (he didn't).
Clayface faces a similar problem, though a Warner Bros. insider has said it's a "terrifying" movie, so perhaps it can take advantage of the horror resurgence buoyed by titles like Backrooms and Obsession.
Another industry insider says, "All this is, is a Gunn and Safran production deal. It’s not a brand. Announcing a universe was dumb. DC created an expectation, and now you have delivered one Superman movie." A top agent, meanwhile, questioned whether Gunn can survive this failure.
"I don’t know how nervous DC is, but certainly James Gunn should be nervous," they warned. "There will always be a DC, and the current execs have survived previous regime changes, but I don’t think Gunn survives."
An unnamed Warner Bros. source pushed back on that—citing DC Studios' 10-year plan—but acknowledged that the studio is "disappointed" with Supergirl's performance and the fact that the character "didn't connect." That's evident from Gen Z women not showing up as hoped, with the audience primarily male and over the age of 25. That same insider adds, "'Supergirl' missed on a lot of levels."
As for why Lobo, played by Jason Momoa, didn't make a difference, "His inclusion was seen by many as a transparent attempt to woo men to see the film, and a concern that women alone could not carry the movie at the box office." It's also pointed out that Peacemaker Season 2 "failed to make much of a splash" on HBO Max, despite positive reviews.
Believe it or not, even after Supergirl served as proof that moviegoers will only show up for A-list superhero characters, the Bane/Deathstroke movie is currently a major priority at DC Studios, despite having no director or stars attached. Nexus Point News' @ApocHorseman adds to that by saying it will likely shoot after Man of Tomorrow for a 2028 release.
Supergirl is now playing in theaters.