Launching a cinematic universe is no easy task. After the Marvel Cinematic Universe made history in 2012 by bringing Earth's Mightiest Heroes together for the first time, every studio wanted a slice of the cake. Universal gave it a go with its now-dead Dark Universe. Furthermore, Sony tried to find success by releasing movies starring Spider-Man villains without the wall-crawler himself (which was an odd choice). DC also kickstarted its Extended Universe with 2013's Man of Steel, but those plans eventually came to an end. Now, the superhero giant is trying to give it one more shot, but those plans have met an unexpected obstacle.
Supergirl is the second-ever film to be released as part of the new and improved DC Universe after 2025's Superman. The latest project follows the Girl of Steel (Milly Alcock) as she ventures into a huge intergalactic adventure to save her dog, Krypto (because who wouldn't do the same?). Warner Bros. clearly had a lot of faith in the film, as it is one of the key foundations of a new cinematic universe. Unfortunately, Supergirl fell short of expectations at the box office, and DC has now released a statement acknowledging the situation.
The head of DC Studios says Supergirl didn't meet box office expectations
Peter Safran, the co-CEO and chairman of DC Studios, has released a statement regarding Supergirl's box-office performance. While it may still be early days for Kara Zor-El's latest adventure, it's clear the film wasn't the success Warner Bros. hoped it would be, as revealed by Safran:
"While Supergirl didn't meet our box office expectations, it's just one component of a broader, long-term strategy at DC Studios that we remain confident in."
Supergirl ended up grossing $38 million domestically during its opening weekend, which was well below the initial expectations of $50 million. To make matters more complicated, the film grossed a total of just $62.6 million at the worldwide box office during its first weekend. To put this number into perspective, Birds Of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn) grossed $81 million at the worldwide box office during the same period of time and concluded its run with $205.3 million.
There's a very high chance Supergirl fails to reach the $200 million mark at the global box office, which is far below its goal of $300 million. Early estimates are already suggesting the second-ever DCU film will represent a $100 million loss for Warner Bros., which would put the future of the DCU into question right from the get-go.
Fortunately, Peter Safran's comments signal that the studio will keep executing its initial strategy and remain confident in the long-term plans for the franchise. At first glance, this would mean that there would be no sudden, reactive moves in an attempt to cushion Supergirl's underwhelming reception. However, that may be far from the truth.
It has been reported that DC is now prioritizing a Deathstroke and Bane film, although there isn't a director attached yet. On the one hand, the two are some of Batman's most iconic villains, so they could have the "star power" to bring audiences to movie theaters. On the other hand, Sony has already tried the whole strategy of releasing movies starring villains without their titular hero, and it was a complete failure, so history could be about to repeat itself.
So far, the DCU lacks a proper version of Batman to keep Gotham City safe. Granted, the Caped Crusader did cameo in an episode of Creature Commandos, which is part of the larger DCU. However, there's no actor attached to the character, and audiences are still waiting to see the hero's proper cinematic debut. So, why not fast-track the Batman film, then?
To make things more complicated, the next film in the DCU will be Clayface, which is an R-rated body-horror project starring a B-list Batman villain who hasn't appeared in any live-action movie. While test screenings for the project have reportedly been positive, there's no denying that it could also struggle at the box office, much like Supergirl.
Given that the Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow, is the only other DCU film with a release date set, it wouldn't be surprising if the studio were to reveal more of its upcoming schedule soon. It will be interesting to see whether there are any major changes in store due to Supergirl's underwhelming reception and Paramount Skydance's agreement to acquire Warner Bros. But, for the time being, it seems there is plenty more DCU coming our way if Safran's comments are anything to go by.
Supergirl is now in theaters.
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