Frequently, a holiday can save a movie. After a slow start, a three or four-day weekend can swoop in and rescue a title that faltered out of the gate. We see this a lot around Christmas. More people are off from work, so more people go to the movies. This isn’t rocket science.
I’m sure that was everyone’s hope around Supergirl, which opened to a disastrous $37.1 million on June 26. For context, that $37.1 million is below the $37.6 million opening for the disaster known as Joker: Folie à Deux. That $37.1 million is less than a quarter of Superman’s 2025 opening of $125 million.
Could America’s 250th birthday on July 4 save Supergirl?
No.
Supergirl took a superdive of -74 percent in its second weekend, attracting a measly $9.8 million over the holiday weekend. This brings its total two-week domestic box office to a catastrophic $59 million.
Supergirl isn’t just a flop, it’s an iconic flop along the lines of Heaven’s Gate and Pluto Nash.
Between production and promotion, Warner Bros. sunk around $250 million into Supergirl, which puts the break-even number at around $450 million, which means we’re looking at losses in the hundred million range, not to mention the damage done to the overall DC brand.
James Gunn’s Superman was not a very good movie, but it was good enough, good enough that people were willing to see what came next from his rebooted DC Universe. Supergirl is a drain on the one thing a successful franchise requires, and that’s goodwill. Next up, later this year from DC, is something called Clayface, which no one asked for.
We’ll see.
The news is no better for Supergirl on the overseas front. In weekend two, Supergirl collapsed -70 percent outside of America, bringing in just $19 million. This brings its global total to a pathetic $100 million.
At this pace, Supergirl will not hit $100 million domestic. Actually, it won’t come close. Worldwide, it is unlikely to see $200 million.
One thing I keep wondering is who exactly this movie was made for? Females don’t go to superhero movies. Males do, and males enjoy action and hot women. Why was the plain-looking Milly Alcock put in the lead instead of a hottie like Sydney Sweeney?
Do you want to know why the James Bond franchise is still going strong after more than 50 years and the occasional stinker? The promise of lots of action and hot women.
Until Hollywood returns to making movies for Normal People, Supergirls will continue to happen.