Supergirl has managed to inch past $100 million at the global box office, but its second weekend in theaters also saw it secure one of the biggest drops in superhero movie history.
It’s yet another disappointing update for the DCU following its sophomore installment’s already rough opening weekend. Despite managing to reach $100.47 million globally, Supergirl, which stars Milly Alcock as its title character, only brought in $9.6 million domestically and $9.4 million internationally during its second weekend in theaters.
That’s down 74% from last weekend’s $37.1 million domestic opening and a crushing blow to Warner Bros. and DC. The decline lands it among other comic book movies with historically low second-weekend drops, such as Joker: Folie à Deux (81%), Morbius (74%), The Marvels (78%), and The Flash (72%). With the holiday weekend coming to a close, Supergirl’s worldwide total now hovers just above $100 million, coming in fourth at the global box office behind Minions & Monsters (first), Toy Story 5 (second), and Young Washington (third).
Supergirl was deemed a box office bomb when it debuted to a global total of $68 million following its June 26 premiere. The Warner Bros. superhero movie reportedly had a $170 million production budget and $120 million marketing budget, suggesting the studio would need around $300 million just to break even.
The film’s theatrical run was previously projected to accumulate around $200 million – a number that would put it at a $100 million loss – but a 74% drop suggests the studio will have to fight tooth and nail just to reach even that goal. Despite Supergirl’s position as the second installment in the DCU and a pivotal moment for DC Studios, a steep decline makes it seem as though things won’t be looking up anytime soon.
“While Supergirl didn’t meet our box office expectations,” DC Studios co-CEO Safran told The New York Times following its disappointing opening weekend, “it’s just one component of a broader, long-term strategy at DC Studios that we remain confident in.”
While Superman kicked off the DCU with a bang, comic book movie fans are hoping Supergirl doesn’t derail an otherwise promising cinematic universe. Up next on the movie side of things is the body horror offshoot, Clayface, which is set with an October 2026 release date. Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow is currently scheduled to save the day in July 2027. For TV watchers, Lanterns is set to premiere in August.
Alcock will return in Man of Tomorrow, with Safran teasing that she’ll play an important role in follow-up DCU projects. For more, you can check out IGN’s 6/10 Supergirl review. You can also read about some behind-the-scenes details that suggest creative differences between Gunn and director Craig Gillespie impacted the final product.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
