Supergirl’s Disappointing Box Office Spurs Calls for a DCU Course Correction

*Supergirl* opened with a global total of $108 million, the lowest for a DC superhero film since the 2004 *Catwoman*. After its second weekend the cumulative gross rose to $115 million, dropping the movie to #7 in the worldwide rankings and well below the $130 million earned by the recent *Blue Beetle*. The modest take places the film outside the top five and signals that it is unlikely to catch up to even modest DCU benchmarks.

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The under-performance arrives at a moment when the DCU is attempting to establish a cohesive slate of interconnected titles. A weak opening for a high-profile character like Supergirl reduces confidence in the franchise’s ability to generate the box-office momentum that underpins future sequels, spin-offs, and cross-media projects. Industry observers note that a series of low-grossing releases could erode audience interest and limit the budgetary flexibility needed for larger-scale productions.

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Tassi contends that Gunn’s reliance on “smaller, often more obscure characters” to launch the DCU is no longer viable. He points to the financial failure of *Suicide Squad* despite its critical reception, and argues that allocating resources to niche projects such as *Peacemaker*, *Creature Commandos*, and the upcoming *Clayface* diverts attention from core heroes. The columnist suggests that the franchise should prioritize established icons—Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and possibly Green Lantern or The Flash—to rebuild momentum.

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• “Supergirl has now made only $115 million in total after this past weekend, falling out of the top 5 entirely to #7.” — Paul Tassi, Forbes columnist

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• “The main thing here is that Gunn cannot rely on his typical MO of using smaller, often more obscure characters to open the DCU.” — Paul Tassi, Forbes columnist

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• “Gunn’s Suicide Squad was a financial failure, despite its quality.” — Paul Tassi, Forbes columnist

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• “Mixing and matching these hyper obscure characters with big ones, and positioning something like Supergirl this early, a movie that probably shouldn’t have been out for years, was clearly the wrong call.” — Paul Tassi, Forbes columnist

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