Supergirl in super mess: Superman legacy led to Milly Alcock's $100-million crash?
Milly Alcock's Supergirl is likely to incur at least $100-million loss. The threat of ending up DC's biggest box office disaster ever also looms large. What went wrong with Supergirl?
"This does not look like this is going to end well. For you guys." Milly Alcock drawls with superhero sass in Supergirl, before bashing up a bunch of baddies.
She could be telling that to the makers of the film right now. For Supergirl could inadvertently set a record no producer or studio wants to, in their worst nightmare – the film looks likely to incur at least a $100-million loss on DC Studios. The threat of ending up as DC's biggest box office disaster ever also looms large.
COLD GLOBAL STATS
Milly Alcock's introduction to the DC universe of superheroes as Kara Zor-El, or Supergirl, has managed $37.1 million in North America and $62.6 million globally in the first weekend after opening on June 26, per Variety. This falls way short of the estimated $45-55 million the film was expected to fetch solely at the US box office over the weekend. Produced on a reported budget of $170 million, Supergirl needs $350-400 million globally to break even.
HOW DID SUPERGIRL FARE IN INDIA?
At the Indian box office, the film released in Hindi and Tamil versions besides in original English prints. After the first Tuesday, Supergirl has managed to gross Rs 5.72 crore, per Sacnilk. The film's net income during the same period stands at Rs 5.13 crore.
Compare that to DC's Wonder Woman 1984, released at the height of Covid-19 on December 16, 2020. The English version of the Gal Gadot-starrer had managed Rs 8.15 crore net in five days despite a large number of theatres remaining shut owing to the pandemic.
DID SUPERMAN LEGACY HURT SUPERGIRL?
So, what went wrong for Supergirl? Part of the conversation on social media somehow keeps veering to last year's Superman.
James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC Universe (DCU) kicked off on a grand note on July 11, 2025, with Superman. Directed by Gunn and introducing David Corenswet as the new Man of Steel, the film grossed over $618 million against a budget of $225 million. DCU had started on the right foot.
Superman actually started Chapter One of DCU, titled Gods and Monsters. Apart from the Corenswet starrer and Supergirl, other films lined up as part of the Chapter include Clayface (scheduled to release on October 23, 2026) and Man of Tomorrow (July 9, 2027), besides three other films whose release dates are yet to be decided. These are The Brave and the Bold, Swamp Thing and an untitled Wonder Woman film.
Gunn and Safran chose Supergirl to follow up 2025's Superman for obvious reasons. The stories of the two films are directly linked, for Clark Kent (Superman) and Kara Zor-El (Supergirl) are paternal cousins and the two are among the last survivors of planet Krypton. While Clark was raised in a peaceful atmosphere by the Kents on earth, Kara's growing up has a tragic narrative arc. The contrast naturally creates scope for their shared storyline to take a different trajectory. Aptly, Milly Alcock was given a cameo in Superman as Clark's cousin Kara Zor-El / Supergirl ahead of her just-released own film.
In hindsight, that itself might have backfired for Supergirl. The strategy most likely raised the bar of expectation a tad too high for Supergirl, a character not quite as popular as Superman beyond hardcore comicbook buffs. Supergirl as a brand needed more aggressive promotion, it needed time to grow on the lay audience, especially in markets like India that have a huge fan base for Hollywood superhero cinema but limited awareness of Supergirl / Kara Zor-El.
While global box office impact has been low, in India the utter lack of pre-release promotion meant many people are not even aware a new DC superhero film has released.
TOO MANY TROPES, SHODDY PLOT
There's more to why Supergirl has stumbled, though, beyond shoddy publicity and the possibly overwhelming legacy of Superman. While word of mouth has dwelt upon shoddy storytelling, critical response has been worse. Many fans are also not happy with the film's characterisation of the titular hero, and have complained that the protagonist drowns under generic tropes of comicbook cinema.
It is notable, in this context, that Supergirl is directed by Craig Gillespie, a veteran Hollywood filmmaker of nearly two decades, of mostly comedy hits. Gillespie's brand of comedy has spanned the psychological (Lars And The Real Girl, 2007) and dark humour (Cruella, 2021) and from biographical drama (Dumb Money, 2023) to horror (Fright Night, 2011). He has also tried his hand at biographies such as Million Dollar Arm (2014) and I, Tonya (2017), besides chronicling history (The Finest Hours, 2016).
None of it, fans have noted, necessarily prepares a director for the tricky domain of expensive comicbook cinema, where content, tech specs, FX and action must perfectly be in sync. It's a balance many filmmakers have struggled to strike and failed – think Andy Muschietti (The Flash, 2023), David F. Sandberg (Shazam 2, 2023), or Angel Manuel Soto (Blue Beetle, 2023).
Supergirl hasn't won critical appreciation, either. The film's rating on Rotten Tomatoes stands at 56 per cent, while user IMDB voters rate it 6.1 on a scale of 10 at the time of publishing.
RELEASE RUSH AHEAD
Meanwhile, there's a crowded Hollywood release schedule ahead. The animated comedy Minions & Monsters, latest in the Despicable Me franchise, is up next in the theatres. It is another family-friendly summer release, as is Disney’s live-action Moana, starring Dwayne Johnson and Rena Owen. The film is scheduled to release on July 10. Hollywood's season then gets big on July 17, with Christopher Nolan's ambitious action epic, The Odyssey, lined up. The film has generated as much buzz for its director as for its powerhouse star cast comprising Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya and Lupita Nyong'o.
Rounding off July will be Marvel's new comicbook adventure, Spider-Man: Brand New Day. While Tom Holland and Zendaya return in starring roles as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, the starstudded cast includes Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando and Mark Ruffalo. The Destin Daniel Cretton directorial is slated for a July 31 release.
Milly Alcock's box office battle as Supergirl can only be uphill in the coming weeks. Fans can look forward to seeing her in the superhero avatar in Corenswet's Man of Tomorrow in 2027, though, if the buzz is anything to go by.
"This does not look like this is going to end well. For you guys." Milly Alcock drawls with superhero sass in Supergirl, before bashing up a bunch of baddies.
She could be telling that to the makers of the film right now. For Supergirl could inadvertently set a record no producer or studio wants to, in their worst nightmare – the film looks likely to incur at least a $100-million loss on DC Studios. The threat of ending up as DC's biggest box office disaster ever also looms large.
COLD GLOBAL STATS
Milly Alcock's introduction to the DC universe of superheroes as Kara Zor-El, or Supergirl, has managed $37.1 million in North America and $62.6 million globally in the first weekend after opening on June 26, per Variety. This falls way short of the estimated $45-55 million the film was expected to fetch solely at the US box office over the weekend. Produced on a reported budget of $170 million, Supergirl needs $350-400 million globally to break even.
HOW DID SUPERGIRL FARE IN INDIA?
At the Indian box office, the film released in Hindi and Tamil versions besides in original English prints. After the first Tuesday, Supergirl has managed to gross Rs 5.72 crore, per Sacnilk. The film's net income during the same period stands at Rs 5.13 crore.
Compare that to DC's Wonder Woman 1984, released at the height of Covid-19 on December 16, 2020. The English version of the Gal Gadot-starrer had managed Rs 8.15 crore net in five days despite a large number of theatres remaining shut owing to the pandemic.
DID SUPERMAN LEGACY HURT SUPERGIRL?
So, what went wrong for Supergirl? Part of the conversation on social media somehow keeps veering to last year's Superman.
James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC Universe (DCU) kicked off on a grand note on July 11, 2025, with Superman. Directed by Gunn and introducing David Corenswet as the new Man of Steel, the film grossed over $618 million against a budget of $225 million. DCU had started on the right foot.
Superman actually started Chapter One of DCU, titled Gods and Monsters. Apart from the Corenswet starrer and Supergirl, other films lined up as part of the Chapter include Clayface (scheduled to release on October 23, 2026) and Man of Tomorrow (July 9, 2027), besides three other films whose release dates are yet to be decided. These are The Brave and the Bold, Swamp Thing and an untitled Wonder Woman film.
Gunn and Safran chose Supergirl to follow up 2025's Superman for obvious reasons. The stories of the two films are directly linked, for Clark Kent (Superman) and Kara Zor-El (Supergirl) are paternal cousins and the two are among the last survivors of planet Krypton. While Clark was raised in a peaceful atmosphere by the Kents on earth, Kara's growing up has a tragic narrative arc. The contrast naturally creates scope for their shared storyline to take a different trajectory. Aptly, Milly Alcock was given a cameo in Superman as Clark's cousin Kara Zor-El / Supergirl ahead of her just-released own film.
In hindsight, that itself might have backfired for Supergirl. The strategy most likely raised the bar of expectation a tad too high for Supergirl, a character not quite as popular as Superman beyond hardcore comicbook buffs. Supergirl as a brand needed more aggressive promotion, it needed time to grow on the lay audience, especially in markets like India that have a huge fan base for Hollywood superhero cinema but limited awareness of Supergirl / Kara Zor-El.
While global box office impact has been low, in India the utter lack of pre-release promotion meant many people are not even aware a new DC superhero film has released.
TOO MANY TROPES, SHODDY PLOT
There's more to why Supergirl has stumbled, though, beyond shoddy publicity and the possibly overwhelming legacy of Superman. While word of mouth has dwelt upon shoddy storytelling, critical response has been worse. Many fans are also not happy with the film's characterisation of the titular hero, and have complained that the protagonist drowns under generic tropes of comicbook cinema.
It is notable, in this context, that Supergirl is directed by Craig Gillespie, a veteran Hollywood filmmaker of nearly two decades, of mostly comedy hits. Gillespie's brand of comedy has spanned the psychological (Lars And The Real Girl, 2007) and dark humour (Cruella, 2021) and from biographical drama (Dumb Money, 2023) to horror (Fright Night, 2011). He has also tried his hand at biographies such as Million Dollar Arm (2014) and I, Tonya (2017), besides chronicling history (The Finest Hours, 2016).
None of it, fans have noted, necessarily prepares a director for the tricky domain of expensive comicbook cinema, where content, tech specs, FX and action must perfectly be in sync. It's a balance many filmmakers have struggled to strike and failed – think Andy Muschietti (The Flash, 2023), David F. Sandberg (Shazam 2, 2023), or Angel Manuel Soto (Blue Beetle, 2023).
Supergirl hasn't won critical appreciation, either. The film's rating on Rotten Tomatoes stands at 56 per cent, while user IMDB voters rate it 6.1 on a scale of 10 at the time of publishing.
RELEASE RUSH AHEAD
Meanwhile, there's a crowded Hollywood release schedule ahead. The animated comedy Minions & Monsters, latest in the Despicable Me franchise, is up next in the theatres. It is another family-friendly summer release, as is Disney’s live-action Moana, starring Dwayne Johnson and Rena Owen. The film is scheduled to release on July 10. Hollywood's season then gets big on July 17, with Christopher Nolan's ambitious action epic, The Odyssey, lined up. The film has generated as much buzz for its director as for its powerhouse star cast comprising Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya and Lupita Nyong'o.
Rounding off July will be Marvel's new comicbook adventure, Spider-Man: Brand New Day. While Tom Holland and Zendaya return in starring roles as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, the starstudded cast includes Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando and Mark Ruffalo. The Destin Daniel Cretton directorial is slated for a July 31 release.
Milly Alcock's box office battle as Supergirl can only be uphill in the coming weeks. Fans can look forward to seeing her in the superhero avatar in Corenswet's Man of Tomorrow in 2027, though, if the buzz is anything to go by.
