• Movie Title: Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
• Studio: DC Studios / Warner Bros. Pictures
• Projected Opening Weekend: $40 million USD

Unfortunately Supergirl doesn’t seem to be off to a very super start at the box office. DC Studios’ highly anticipated blockbuster is facing an uphill battle ahead of its theatrical debut. Initial box office tracking numbers from places like Forbes indicate the movie is currently projected to bring in roughly $40 million USD during its opening weekend—a massive drop from the studio’s early, optimistic pre-release expectations. Directed by Craig Gillespie and starring Milly Alcock, the film has left highly polarized reactions from early screenings, leaving mainstream film critics and hardcore DC fans completely at odds over the film’s creative direction.

RELATED: Inside the DCU Casting Process: How Milly Alcock Secured the Title Role in Supergirl

A Stark Divide in Reactions

The soft box office projection appears to be directly tied to a massive split in reception. Review aggregators display a deeply divided critical landscape:

• The Mainstream Critics’ Take: Many top-tier industry reviewers have labeled the film a misstep, taking issue with its heavy reliance on stylized visual effects, dense cosmic lore, and an abstract, slow-burning script that strays too far from traditional superhero movie formulas.
• The Hardcore Fan Response: Conversely, some dedicated comic book enthusiasts and online fan communities are praising the adaptation. Audiences are celebrating director Craig Gillespie’s bold visual style and Milly Alcock’s fierce, comic-accurate portrayal of Kara Zor-El, highlighting the movie’s dedication to Tom King’s acclaimed source material.

Shifting the Strategy for the New DCU

Per Forbes, the movie earned $7.8 million across special fan screenings on Wednesday and Thursday previews, and according to Deadline, Friday’s domestic box office, including the preview numbers, notched an estimated $18 million.

For DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran, the soft opening numbers for Supergirl present an immediate challenge for the unfolding DC Universe (DCU) slate. While earlier blockbusters relied heavily on mainstream casual moviegoers to drive massive opening numbers, Supergirl may have to depend entirely on long-term word-of-mouth survival. If fan communities can rally behind the project and drive steady repeat ticket sales through its second and third weeks, the film could still carve out a profitable international run despite its slow start out of the gate.

Featured Photo: DC Studios

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