No one expected Supergirl to set the box office on fire, but this weekend’s $38 million opening is likely a worst-case scenario for DC Studios and Warner Bros. In fact, it ranks among the worst openings ever for a major superhero movie. It debuted below The Marvels, which still managed a $46 million opening (about what we predicted for Supergirl), and far behind The Flash, another notorious box office bomb that launched with $55 million.
With a reported production budget of around $170 million before marketing costs, there’s virtually no path for Supergirl to break even theatrically. That now puts even more pressure on this fall’s Clayface to generate momentum for James Gunn’s DC Universe. If next year’s Man of Tomorrow also underperforms, it could raise serious questions about the long-term viability of the DCU’s ambitious slate.
Making matters worse, Supergirl earned a disappointing B- CinemaScore, suggesting weak word-of-mouth and the potential for a steep second-weekend drop.
UPDATE: The international figures for Supergirl are no better. According to Rentrack, it only made $30 million overseas. By comparison, The Marvels opened with $63.3 million internationally – more than double what Supergirl made. It will be lucky to crack $200-250 million worldwide by the end of its run. The results are so poor that DC film co-CEO Peter Safran issued a statement to The New York Times addressing the performance, saying, “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.”
Warner Bros. continues a difficult year
Supergirl is just the latest setback in what has become a difficult year for Warner Bros. After a stellar 2025, the studio’s 2026 slate has struggled to find consistent success.
While Wuthering Heights posted respectable numbers, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride became a major flop, They Will Kill You also failed to connect with audiences, and Mortal Kombat II underperformed relative to expectations. Outside of Wuthering Heights, the studio’s biggest success has been Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, which earned $90 million worldwide against a modest $22 million budget.
Warner Bros. still has several major releases on the horizon, including The End of Oak Street, the Tom Cruise-led Digger, and J.J. Abrams’ The Great Beyond. Those films could determine whether the studio ultimately salvages its 2026 slate.
Toy Story 5 easily remains No. 1
Meanwhile, Disney had no trouble holding onto the top spot. Toy Story 5 fell a solid 56% in its second weekend, earning $70 million for a terrific $297 million domestic total.
Obsession continued its remarkable run, dropping just 27% to $9.8 million. The film continues to demonstrate some of the strongest legs of any release this year, pushing its domestic total to an outstanding $233 million.
Jackass stumbles while Spielberg and A24 continue their runs
Sadly, Johnny Knoxville and the gang may have overstayed their welcome. Jackass: Best and Last opened to a franchise-low $8.4 million, suggesting audiences may finally be ready to move on from the long-running series.
Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day continued to fall faster than expected, earning $8.1 million for a domestic total of $94 million. It now appears likely to finish its North American run in the $110 million range.
A24’s Backrooms added another $4.3 million, bringing its impressive domestic haul to $184 million.
Meanwhile, Scary Movie crossed the $100 million mark, grossing $3 million this weekend for a total of $103.5 million.
Anime and holdovers struggle
Masters of the Universe also appears to be wrapping up its theatrical run, earning another $2.2 million for a disappointing $61 million domestic total, making a sequel increasingly unlikely.
The anime release Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity failed to catch on like other recent anime hits, opening to a modest $1.9 million.
Rounding out the Top 10 was Disney’s The Mandalorian and Grogu, now officially the lowest-grossing Star Wars movie ever, adding $1.6 million for a $175 million domestic total.
Specialty box office was a bloodbath
It was also a brutal weekend for several specialty releases.
According to Exhibitor Relations, A24’s The Death of Robin Hood plunged 79% to $588,000, bringing its disappointing domestic total to just $4.7 million.
Neon’s horror film Leviticus also collapsed, falling 64% to $929,000.
Focus Features’ Girls Like Girls dropped an alarming 80%, earning just $300,000 for a weak $2.4 million total.
Angelina Jolie’s Couture also struggled badly, grossing only $135,000 for a dismal $587 per-screen average.
The lone bright spot among specialty releases was Olivia Wilde’s The Invite, which earned $379,000 from just seven screens, delivering an excellent $54,000 per-screen average.
What did you see at the movies this weekend? Let us know in the comments!
| # | MOVIE TITLE | WKND $ | TOTAL $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toy Story 5 | $70 M | $297.2 M |
| 2 | Supergirl | $38 M | $38 M |
| 3 | Obsession | $9.8 M | $233.9 M |
| 4 | Jackass: Best and Last | $8.4 M | $8.4 M |
| 5 | Disclosure Day | $8.1 M | $94.3 M |
| 6 | Backrooms | $4.3 M | $184 M |
| 7 | Scary Movie | $3 M | $103 M |
| 8 | Masters of the Universe | $2.2 M | $61.9 M |
| 9 | Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War | $1.95 M | $3 M |
| 10 | The Mandalorian & Grogu | $1.6 M | $175.2 M |