{"id":797233,"date":"2026-07-12T14:53:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T14:53:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/797233\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T14:53:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T14:53:23","slug":"im-not-surprised-supergirl-is-a-170-million-box-office-bomb-james-gunn-got-the-dcu-all-wrong-from-the-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/797233\/","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019m not surprised \u2018Supergirl\u2019 is a $170 million box office bomb \u2014 James Gunn got the DCU all wrong from the start"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s no really way to sugarcoat this: \u201cSupergirl\u201d is a box office bomb, a big one. Reportedly produced for $170 million, and with a hefty $120 million marketing spend (per Variety<\/a>), it\u2019s grossed $107 million worldwide to date; with momentum stalled, it likely won’t come close to being profitable.<\/p>\n

Naturally, no movie studio likes taking a loss. However, the complete audience rejection of \u201cSupergirl\u201d should have alarm bells ringing at Warner Bros. because this is only the second movie from its rebooted DC Universe under the stewardship of James Gunn and Peter Safran. Two movies into the new connected comic book universe, and the pressure is mounting.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSupergirl\u2019s\u201d much-publicised box office struggles didn\u2019t come as a huge surprise to me. In the words of one Hayley Williams, \u201cI hate to say I told you so,\u201d but I\u2019ve been unconvinced by the DCU from day one. Gunn\u2019s outline for this franchise, launched to take on the MCU juggernaut (granted, an increasingly wounded juggernaut), always looked flawed to me.<\/p>\n

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Just 12 months on from 2025\u2019s \u201cSuperman\u201d setting the scene, in a fundamentally solid, if hardly truly spectacular, fashion, the future of the DCU already looks in question. And I\u2019ve got a horrible inkling that things could get a lot worse before they get better, if they ever do at all.<\/p>\n

The wrong movie, at the wrong time<\/p>\n

Supergirl | Official Trailer – YouTube
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I don\u2019t think it\u2019s an overstatement to say \u201cSupergirl\u201d was not the movie the DCU needed to follow up \u201cSuperman.\u201d I personally wasn\u2019t as hot on David Corenswet\u2019s first outing as the Man of Steel as my colleagues (and the internet at large), but even I\u2019ll admit it was a sound big-screen opener for the DCU. The recent follow-up? Well, Supergirl was a clear misstep.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

The movie\u2019s critical reception was weak, with 54% on Rotten Tomatoes<\/a>. Viewers have been kinder, rating it 75% on the same site (though a far cry from \u201cSuperman\u2019s\u201d 90% score), but the telling factor isn\u2019t the opinion of those who saw it; it\u2019s how many people didn\u2019t turn out for it. At present it\u2019s on track to rake in less than a quarter of \u201cSuperman\u2019s\u201d $643 million gross.<\/p>\n

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\"Milly\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)<\/p>\n

Following up the universe-establishing intro to Supes with a movie about his cousin was not the correct play. Gunn\/Safran should have prioritized building out its roster with the biggest DC characters in their arsenal.<\/p>\n

Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.<\/p>\n

DC should have learned from its biggest rival and taken the same tactic Marvel did back in the day. Focusing on the A-list \u2014 or what A-listers Marvel retained after selling off characters to Fox and Sony in the ’90s \u2014 and then bringing in less popular comic figures with the anchoring pillars in place.<\/p>\n

The next logical step after \u201cSuperman\u201d was a Wonder Woman solo outing, or perhaps a Batman movie. Even if the former is still mired by the stink of the wretched \u201cWonder Woman 1984,” the character has global appeal.<\/p>\n

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\"Gal\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)<\/p>\n

As for Batman, Bruce Wayne is torn between two worlds. Matt Reeves\u2019 \u201cThe Batman Part II\u201d is in production, but exists outside the DCU, and a separate Bat film, \u201cThe Brave and the Bold,\u201d has been announced but not dated. This will be part of the DCU. A factor that may confuse audiences. Nevertheless, the DCU should be focused on establishing its \u201cGolden Trio\u201d first.<\/p>\n

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Not to keep taking shots at Supergirl specifically (I’m largely indifferent to the movie), but its overall subpar quality only compounded its issues, and made its placement within the nascent superhero franchise look ill-judged.<\/p>\n

James Gunn\u2019s assertion in the spring that audiences don\u2019t have superhero fatigue but rather “mediocre movie fatigue”<\/a> now looks awkwardly prophetic. By many accounts, \u201cSupergirl\u201d was a mediocre movie, even if Milly Alcock remains a phenomenal casting choice for the eponymous role. And so audiences simply haven\u2019t turned out for the movie in theaters.<\/p>\n

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\"Milly\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Parisa Taghizadeh \/ Warner Bros. Pictures)<\/p>\n

Further nailing the coffin shut was the news this week that \u201cSupergirl\u201d will arrive on digital streaming platforms on July 28, just 32 days after its theatrical release date. This surrender caused another Gunn quote<\/a> to age particularly poorly, after the filmmaker said that future DC movies won\u2019t land on streaming as quickly as \u201cSuperman\u201d, which hit PVOD after 35 days.<\/p>\n

Clearly, DC Studios is hoping to put the \u201cSupergirl\u201d fiasco behind them and move on with the new DCU as quickly as possible, but I have my doubts the franchise is set up for long-term success.<\/p>\n

Running before you can walk<\/p>\n

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\"Tom\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: DC Studios \/ Warner Bros. Pictures)<\/p>\n

A popular sentiment that has spread online in the wake of \u201cSupergirl\u201d flaming out at the box office is that Gunn (and Safran) are green-lighting \u201cPhase 5 projects in Phase 1.\u201d It’s a comparison to the MCU that I find alarmingly apt. I\u2019m almost baffled by some of the movies and TV shows in the pipeline<\/a> while the universe is still taking its first baby steps.<\/p>\n

On the big screen next up at bat is \u201cClayface\u201d on October 23, an R-rated body horror about Batman\u2019s shape-shifting villain of the same name. Don\u2019t get me wrong, the teaser trailer<\/a> was excellent, and it could be a \u201cJoker\u201d-style breakout hit, but as the third movie in the DCU, it\u2019s a head-scratching choice and seems unlikely to advance the universe\u2019s core mythology.<\/p>\n

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\"Promotional\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Warner Bros. Discovery)<\/p>\n

Naturally, the DCU has a television component as well. In fact, the first installment in the franchise was the animated \u201cCreature Commandos\u201d, released on HBO Max in December 2024. The show has been renewed for a second season, so I can only assume the ratings weren\u2019t a disaster. And it\u2019ll be followed by \u201cLanterns\u201d<\/a> next month on HBO, which has been given a primetime Sunday night slot, suggesting a high degree of faith.<\/p>\n

Now let\u2019s talk about the \u201cPeacemaker\u201d in the room. This television spin-off from Gunn\u2019s own \u201cThe Suicide Squad” movie (itself very much a box office bomb), which was part of the now-defunct DC Extended Universe, was hamfistedly reconned into the DCU in its lukewarm second season.<\/p>\n

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\"John\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: HBO Max)<\/p>\n

This creates another issue for the DCU: Gunn\u2019s refusal to wipe the slate clean. Instead of starting wholly fresh, he\u2019s retained small components of the DCEU, essentially the parts with his fingerprints on them. He’s also announced that Viola Davis\u2019 Amanda Waller will get her own show, just to muddy the water further, as she also appeared in 2016\u2019s \u201cSuicide Squad.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Hollywood grapevine indicates that shows based on Jimmy Olsen (played by Skyler Gisondo in \u201cSuperman\u201d), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), and Gorilla Grodd are in the works alongside movies centered on Swamp Thing, Teen Titans, and a Bane\/Deathstroke team-up flick. And it\u2019s here that you get a distinctive whiff of \u201cMCU Phase 5\u201d about the new DCU.<\/p>\n

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\"Agatha\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Disney)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s as if the franchise is trying to run before it can walk, greenlighting projects focusing on side-characters and D-list heroes before it\u2019s even got its most iconic players on the board. There\u2019s a reason that \u201cAgatha All Along,” “Thunderbolts” and “Echo\u201d didn\u2019t come in Marvel\u2019s initial phase.<\/p>\n

Instead, the MCU focused on its core players, brought them together for 2012\u2019s \u201cAvengers,\u201d and then started to expand the universe out from there. The DCU seems to want to skip that building step, desperate to fast-track viewers towards the same universe fatigue Marvel is grappling with now.<\/p>\n

Maybe these projects will be excellent. Perhaps several won\u2019t come to fruition (I\u2019d say that\u2019s highly likely). But all the signs point to a DC universe that is failing to build a foundation of goodwill before overloading viewers with an abundance of shows and movies hooked on lesser players.<\/p>\n

The future hangs in the balance<\/p>\n

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\"Kyle\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: HBO)<\/p>\n

In the wake of \u201cSupergirl,\u201d DCU badly needs a win. With \u201cClayface\u201d feeling more of an experimental offshoot, I think it comes down to two key upcoming projects: \u201cLanterns\u201d and \u201cMan of Tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

The former will introduce the Green Lantern Corps, with Kyle Chandler playing Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart. I\u2019ve got a good feeling about this one. As noted, it\u2019s been given a prime Sunday night slot on HBO, and isn\u2019t being dumped straight onto HBO Max. Plus, there\u2019s no way it can be worse than the infamous Ryan Reynolds \u201cGreen Lantern\u201d film.<\/p>\n

On the big screen, \u201cMan of Tomorrow\u201d flies into theaters next summer, reuniting Corenswet\u2019s Clark Kent with Rachel Brosnahan\u2019s Louis Lane, Nicholas Hoult\u2019s Lex Luthor and, yes, Alcock’s Zara Zor-El (aka Supergirl). If this \u201cSuperman\u201d sequel can recapture some of its predecessor\u2019s popularity, it could stabilize the franchise and claw back general audience interest.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, only a handful of movies\/shows into its existence, the DCU looks in a very precarious position. And I can\u2019t help but feel the seeds of potential failure were sown from the very start when the creatives involved neglected to establish a solid foundation before taking riskier swings.<\/p>\n

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\"Google\n<\/p>\n

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