Supergirl Opens to Soft $7.8M Previews, Faces Second-Place Finish
The new DC Studios superhero film Supergirl, starring Milly Alcock as Superman's cousin Kara Zor-El, earned 7.8 million dollars in Thursday preview screenings. The movie opened globally to 13 million dollars in its first day. Directed by Craig Gillespie and based on the DC graphic novel Woman of Tomorrow, Supergirl features a cast including Jason Momoa as the character Lobo and Matthias Schoenaerts as the villain. The film's opening comes one week after Pixar's Toy Story 5 claimed the number one box office position, with Supergirl tracking toward a domestic opening around 40 million dollars for the full opening weekend. This represents a significant decline from early projections of 55 million dollars. The movie carries a reported production budget of 170 million dollars. Early critical reception has been mixed, with Rotten Tomatoes scores at 58 percent from critics and 77 percent from audiences, both notably lower than the previous DC film Superman.
Key facts
- Supergirl earned $7.8 million in Thursday domestic preview screenings
- The film opened to $13 million globally in its first day
- Production budget is $170 million before marketing costs
- Supergirl is tracking toward a $40 million domestic opening weekend, down from initial $55 million projections
- Toy Story 5 is projected to earn $70 to $96 million in its second weekend, dominating box office
- Rotten Tomatoes score is 58% from critics and 77% from audiences
- The film cost more to produce than Disney's The Mandalorian and Grogu ($165 million) despite softer preview numbers
- Warner Bros. internally considers $300 million worldwide a victory, down from earlier profit thresholds
- Supergirl is the second DC Universe theatrical film under James Gunn and the first live-action DCU entry not directed by Gunn
How different outlets framed it
Right-leaning coverage: Right-leaning outlets like OutKick and Geeks + Gamers critique the film's messaging around female empowerment and James Gunn's directorial approach, comparing it unfavorably to recent superhero disappointments. They suggest the soft opening reflects audience reluctance regarding the film's ideological framing rather than market saturation alone.
Limits of this briefing
This story focuses on preview and early opening-day numbers; full opening weekend performance provides more predictive data. International market performance remains partially unreported. Critical consensus is still forming as full reviews emerge.
Sources
- Variety: Box Office: 'Supergirl' Makes $7.8 Million in Previews Centre
- The Hollywood Reporter: 'Supergirl' Makes $7.8M in Box Office Previews for Milly Alcock Movie Centre
- Deadline: Box Office: 'Toy Story 5' Rules Weekend As 'Supergirl' Loses Superpowers With $40M Opening Centre
- Cosmic Book News: Supergirl Opens To $7.8M Domestic Previews Right
- ComicBook.com: Supergirl Box Office Explained: 3 Reasons Why It Had a Low Opening Weekend Centre