Warner Bros.
'Supergirl' has been a disaster for DC Studios
Depending on how old you are, you may not even know that Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry once starred in a Catwoman movie. Released in 2004, however, Catwoman hasn’t been immortalized in meme infamy the way that movies such as 2015’s Fantastic 4 has, but has been forgotten entirely. Supergirl may suffer a similar fate.
If box office performance is any indication of long-term relevance, then unfortunately for DC Studios, Supergirl is on its way to being memory-holed, too, as it’s the lowest grossing DC-related big-screen release since 2004’s Catwoman.
Supergirl has joined Catwoman as two of the lowest-grossing live-action DC movies ever made
As of this writing, Supergirl has made about $110 million at the global box office, which does clear the $82 million made by Catwoman 22 years ago, keeping the film as DC’s lowest-ever grossing film. In order for Supergirl to surpass 2023’s Blue Beetle, however, it’s going to need to squeeze out another $20 million at the box office.
Some of the other lowest-grossing DC releases include Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), The Suicide Squad (2021) – $168 million, Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) – $169 million, Watchmen (2009) – $185 million, Birds of Prey (2020) – $205 million, Green Lantern (2011) – $219 million, and The Flash (2023) – $271 million.
While the DCEU was guilty of many sins and does not deserve any reclaiming, it’s only fair to point out that some of those box office totals are misleading. The Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman 1984 were released simultaneously on HBO as they came during the height of the pandemic. Birds of Prey was released in theaters about a month before the shutdown.
For as misguided as some of those films may have been, they were also the victims of unfortunate circumstances. Supergirl doesn’t have that excuse and will shake the confidence of everyone invested in the DCU’s success — from execs to creatives to fans.
On the other hand, though, the fact that those movies — despite their difficult circumstances — are outperforming Supergirl is a deeply worrying sign for DC Studios, especially considering the film was its chosen follow-up to 2025’s well-received Superman.
The expectation is that the DCU’s third live action release, Clayface, will be a hit given its relatively low budget ($40 million), early buzz, and the general high ROI success of the horror genre.
And while Clayface, unlike The Batman and its sequel, is technically part of the DCU franchise, it’s certainly not a building block for the future. Clayface isn’t going to be sitting across the table from Wonder Woman at the Justice League’s Watchtower space station. That’s what Supergirl was supposed to be.