Supergirl’s Box Office Struggles

I didn’t expect to find myself in this position. I had a feeling I’d be praising the casting of a bisexual character in Supergirl, especially considering it’s a $200 million project. But here we are.

Now, let’s look at some numbers as of late Friday afternoon. The Rotten Tomatoes critic score sits at a disappointing 57 percent, which isn’t great. Meanwhile, audience ratings are slightly better with a score of 76 percent, but that still feels pretty weak for a 2023 release, especially when you compare it to The Marvels, which had a viewership of 79 percent and still managed to make money.

In terms of box office revenue, Supergirl pulled in $7.8 million from advance screenings. This means that it opened with a total of $40 million—a dire figure considering the film needs to hit between $450 million and $500 million just to break even.

For context, Superman (2025) raked in $22.5 million during its Thursday previews, just scraping by. The Flash (2023) managed $9.7 million but still ended up flopping, and Joker: Folie à Deux took in $7 million before it fell flat as well.

It’s puzzling to think about what James Gunn and Warner Bros. were aiming for. Who is this film even meant for?

Honestly, a bit of sex appeal might have made a difference. Someone like Helen Slater could have brought some necessary charm to the role. In a landscape where many female characters lack charisma, it’s refreshing to consider how stars like Charlize Theron, Angelina Jolie, and Scarlett Johansson built their careers. Yes, they can act, but there’s a magnetism that draws audiences in. A notion Hollywood has recognized for a long time—from Clara Bow to Rudolph Valentino.

Yet Supergirl features Millie Alcock as a quite entitled character, running around pouting. Was anyone able to convey to James Gunn that it’s not 2022 anymore?

It seems a wise director would want to connect with the audience. Instead, this film feels insulting, alienating, and—frankly—boring, with a protagonist who, lacking in charisma, resembles a 14-year-old boy.

It’s almost amusing to watch this spectacle unfold. Hollywood continues to try to redefine human nature, but it seems the general public is not on board. They have earmarked billions attempting to convince us that unappealing is appealing, sexy is offensive, and that identity is more significant than ability. The narrative indicates that masculinity is a problem while femininity is a virtue, and narratives about America being fundamentally flawed don’t sit well either. Despite the heavy investment in films and television as propaganda tools, it seems like audiences are simply tuning out.

It’s quite the spectacle.