Supergirl debuts to $38 million, Toy Story 5 stays No. 1 as DC reboot hits speed bump
Warner Bros. and DC Studios' 'Supergirl' opened to an estimated $38 million in North America and $68 million globally, well below expectations and the launch of last year's 'Superman'. The result leaves the $170 million production facing a difficult path to profitability.
Supergirl's underwhelming debut
The latest DC Comics adaptation, 'Supergirl', started with a muted $38 million across 3,600 North American theatres and another $30 million from 77 international markets, for a global tally of $68 million. Studio projections had already been lowered to between $50 million and $55 million domestically, but the actual figure fell roughly 24 percent below even those tempered estimates. The Craig Gillespie-directed film, starring Milly Alcock as the cousin of Superman, cost $170 million to produce and tens of millions more to market.
- Supergirl (North America)
- 38 $ million
- Supergirl (Overseas)
- 30 $ million
- Superman (North America)
- 125 $ million
- Superman (Overseas)
- 95 $ million
Competition and critical response
The number-one title remained Disney-Pixar's 'Toy Story 5', collecting $70 million in its second weekend in North America and $89.1 million overseas, pushing its worldwide cumulative to about $585 million. 'Supergirl' also had to contend with the indie horror sensation 'Obsession', which earned another $10 million domestically in its seventh week, reaching a total of $234 million in the United States and Canada. Reviews for 'Supergirl' were poor, earning a 56 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and a B-minus CinemaScore from ticket buyers. The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey described the film as ugly and dispiriting, writing: 'The character is strong. It is only a shame her surroundings are so listless.'
The character is strong. It is only a shame her surroundings are so listless.
A broader DC blueprint under scrutiny
The disappointing start comes one year after James Gunn's 'Superman' opened to $125 million domestically and eventually earned $618 million worldwide, a result that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav hailed as proof the studio has a 'bold 10-year plan' for the rebooted DC Universe. The contrast is sharp: where 'Superman' featured one of the most recognisable heroes in popular culture, Supergirl's alter ego Kara Zor-El is far less familiar to general audiences.
DC Studios co-chair Peter Safran acknowledged the shortfall by telephone, calling it just one piece of a larger strategy.
While 'Supergirl' did not meet our box office expectations, it is just one component of a broader, long-term strategy at DC Studios that we remain confident in.
Other new releases and overall marketplace
Paramount's 'Jackass: Best and Last', the purported final entry in the prank franchise, also stumbled with $8.4 million in North America and just $1.9 million from 19 overseas markets, barely exceeding $10 million globally. The film was assembled quickly for around $10 million, but its debut is the worst of the series. 'Disclosure Day', Steven Spielberg's new science-fiction feature, took in roughly $8 million in its second weekend, for a running North American total of $94 million.
The broader box office continued its strong post-pandemic recovery. Total weekend ticket sales in the United States and Canada reached about $153.5 million, up 18 percent from the comparable frame last year.
