Supergirl reactions
Something’s not quite kosher in the new era of early promotion/reactions to new big-budget studio films. Supergirl is the subject of scrutiny, not necessarily because of the film itself, but because of Warner Bros’ marketing ploy to get positive word out with social media influencers and the big disconnect it has with critical reaction. The phenomenon is enough for Universal to announce that The Odyssey will not partake in “influencer screenings.” Whether or not it was always intended, making the announcement like this shows that Universal doesn’t want any part of that fallout.
Supergirl previews
Despite critic reception, Deadline is reporting that Supergirl‘s early Thursday numbers is tallying in at $7.8 million domestically. This falls short of something like The Flash, which brought in $9.7 million upon its release. However, it fared better than an opening like The Marvels, which had pulled in $6.6 million. Globally, Supergirl is looking more akin to Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, whereas Supergirl garnered $13 million worldwide and Spielberg’s revisit to alien conspiracy saw a $12 million opening.
In our weekend box office predictions, it was deemed that there’s likely enough fan interest to push Supergirl to at least $40 million, with a $45 million opening looking reasonable. The issue for Supergirl is that it will likely appeal primarily to hardcore DC fans, while general audiences may give it a pass because it feels too familiar.
What did we think?
Our Chris Bumbray wasn’t really vibing with the movie apart from star Milly Alcock’s performance (which he thought elevated the film). He gave it a 5/10 and said in his review, “Here’s the thing: Supergirl isn’t terrible. The folks behind the DCU have clearly spent a ton of time and money trying to bring it up to snuff, but it feels like any other assembly-line studio blockbuster. There’s no distinct flavor or personal stamp. One reason the superhero genre has struggled in recent years is because too many filmmakers keep making the same movie over and over again. Milly Alcock proves she deserves the role, but Supergirl itself is disappointingly generic—a forgettable launch for a character who deserved something far more distinctive.”
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