DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran is keeping a cool head after Supergirl stumbled out of the gate at the box office. The superhero flick, starring Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, opened to a modest $38 million domestically—just a hair above the disastrous debut of Joker: Folie à Deux. With an additional $30 million from international markets, the global opening weekend totaled $68 million against a reported $180 million budget. That's a tough start for the second installment of the newly relaunched DC Universe (DCU).
In an interview with The New York Times, Safran addressed the underwhelming numbers head-on. "While Supergirl didn’t meet our box office expectations, it’s just one component of a broader, long-term strategy at DC Studios that we remain confident in," he said. The executive stopped short of calling it a failure, instead framing the film as a single piece of a much larger puzzle. The DCU kicked off last year with James Gunn's Superman, which earned around $620 million worldwide—solid but not spectacular compared to earlier DCEU hits like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ($800 million) and Suicide Squad ($700 million).
Critics have been lukewarm on Supergirl, which holds a 56% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus praises Alcock's "swagger" but notes the film is a familiar origin story waiting for an adventure that matches her energy. Directed by Craig Gillespie, the movie is the second chapter in a franchise that aims to learn from the uneven DCEU era. While Gunn's Superman earned better reviews than most of its predecessors, Supergirl has struggled to capture audience enthusiasm, especially compared to early DCEU blockbusters like Wonder Woman and Aquaman.
The DCU's next big bet is Gunn's Man of Tomorrow, currently in production for a 2027 release. Safran's comments suggest the studio is playing the long game, not panicking over one underperformer. Still, the Supergirl Exposes the DCU's Superman-Sized Problem is a reminder that building a new cinematic universe takes patience—and a few hits along the way.
For context, Supergirl's opening weekend was even worse than The Marvels, MCU's Biggest Flop, raising questions about superhero fatigue. But Safran remains bullish, pointing to the studio's broader slate. The DCU has already greenlit several projects, and the hope is that consistent quality—rather than immediate box office fireworks—will win over audiences in the long run.
As the industry watches closely, one thing is clear: Supergirl may have stumbled, but DC Studios isn't hitting the panic button. Whether that confidence pays off will depend on the next few chapters of this ambitious reboot.
