UPDATE: We hate to share even more bad news for Supergirl, but the updated international numbers are in, and the DC Studios movie touched down with $5 million less than expected.
The movie grossed only $25.5 million across 5 days in 78 international markets, a catastrophic result for a $290 million blockbuster. This is also the second-lowest debut for a DC movie in 20 years (Blue Beetle remains the lowest with $18.5 million).
Add this to a U.S. haul of $37.1 million, which is lower than Joker: Folie à Deux, and that’s a $62.2 million global bow. On Friday, estimates pointed to $80 million.
The Hollywood trades aren't giving DC Studios much slack today, though perhaps that was to be expected when the final box office numbers for this past weekend revealed that Supergirl came in even further below expectations with a $37 million debut.
Variety is the latest to pile on, describing the movie as "a major setback for the newly rebooted DC Universe." The site has learned that Supergirl cost roughly $170 million to produce and a whopping $120 million to market, taking its full budget to just shy of $300 million.
While a blockbuster costing this much would typically need to gross $375 million to break even, sources continue to say it's more like $300 million. Either way, "'Supergirl' is projected to stall at a lifetime gross of $100 million domestically and $200 million to $210 million globally," and could finish significantly lower depending on this coming weekend.
Sources believe that Supergirl stands to lose between $100 million and $120 million, though someone closer to the financials of Supergirl is saying it's more like $80 million to $85 million, so long as ticket sales hit at least $200 million. However, with some pundits predicting a $175 million finish, it's going to be a tough few weeks for DC Studios as we move into a month packed full of stiff competition.
On the plus side, the cast not having backend deals for a share of box office revenue will help matters, with Supergirl lead Milly Alcock only promised a small bonus if the movie had been a hit. That's likely not coming, which is a shame for the House of the Dragon alum, as she was only paid $400,000 for her role as the Woman of Tomorrow.
The lesson seems to be (and Marvel Studios is included in this) that audiences will no longer buy a ticket to watch a movie about a lesser-known superhero, especially if it doesn't feel like an event. Fortunately, this October's Clayface only cost $40 million.
Analyst Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations says, "This was always going to be a tough hurdle for DC and Warner Bros. because Supergirl isn’t a character that has ever created an event-level blockbuster. Audience perception of 'Supergirl' was not good. This is just a case of the film wasn’t good enough to become an event."
"Superhero movies can still be marketable, but studios need to ask themselves, 'Are casual moviegoers going to our film?' When you are spending $150 million to $200 million, it needs to feel culturally inevitable," he adds. "Otherwise, smaller films with less risk is the way to go."
The trade notes that Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday are set to be two of the biggest box office hits of 2026. DC Studios will no doubt be hoping the same applies to Man of Tomorrow next July.
Supergirl is now playing in theaters.