Supergirl (2026): Why Did It Flop?

James Gunn's DC Universe is finally taking shape, and this month we step into it properly. Supergirl arrived in cinemas on 26 June 2026, directed by Craig Gillespie from a script by Ana Nogueira, with Milly Alcock leading as Kara Zor-El in the second film of the rebooted DCU. On paper it had everything going for it: a beloved source comic, a breakout star, and real momentum behind the slate. Instead it became the summer's most argued-over box office story. So what actually went wrong

Journey Through Sci-Fi podcast artwork for the episode Why Did Supergirl Flop, featuring the Supergirl logo

A big opening and a very steep drop

Supergirl opened to $37.1 million domestically, which is a perfectly respectable start. What happened next is the problem. The second weekend saw a 77% collapse, and the film has since taken around $124.6 million worldwide against a reported $170 million budget plus roughly $120 million in marketing. We dig into the gap between that and the warmth of the word of mouth, from the film's position in a still very new shared universe to how Warner Bros. sold it in the first place.

What got lost from Woman of Tomorrow

Tom King and Bilquis Evely's comic is specific, spiky and quietly brutal, and translating that into a four quadrant blockbuster was always going to cost something. We talk through the biggest changes from the page, what survived the trip, and what got smoothed away in the process. Alcock is doing the work. The question is whether the film around her was built to let her.

Krypto, Lobo and the shape of the DCU

Elsewhere on the docket: Jason Momoa's Lobo, Krypto, and the film's sci-fi worldbuilding, which is doing more heavy lifting than most people have given it credit for. This is a road movie set across the galaxy, and the design work deserves better than the conversation it has had.

Did Supergirl deserve a better fate?

That's the one we keep coming back to. [Link to your Superman episode] and [link to another DC or comics episode] if you want the wider context on where the DCU has got to.

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, or hit play above. For bonus episodes and Patron's Pick, head over to our Patreon.