SUPERGIRL Box Office Crashes Hard in Second Weekend With a Worse Drop Than THE FLASH and MORBIUS

The DC Universe couldn't have asked for a much rougher outcome for Supergirl. Heading into release, expectations were already fairly modest, but few expected the film to stumble this badly.

After opening to just $37.1 million domestically, concerns about the movie's financial future surfaced almost immediately, with reports suggesting Warner Bros. could be looking at a loss of around $120 million.

What was once viewed as one of the more interesting blockbuster releases of the summer has instead become the latest example of how unpredictable the superhero genre has become at the box office. Now, after its second weekend, the numbers paint an even tougher picture.

According to Deadline, Supergirl pulled in only $9.6 million domestically during its second weekend, suffering a massive 74% drop from its opening weekend. That's an even steeper decline than The Flash, which dropped 72.5%, and Morbius, which fell 73.8%.

For comparison, last summer's Superman slipped just 53.2% in its second weekend, showing the kind of audience staying power that Supergirl simply hasn't been able to generate.

The weekend box office ended up looking like this:

Minions & Monsters – $36.4 million ($61.4 million five-day debut)

Toy Story 5 – $31 million

Young Washington – $20.8 million

Supergirl – $9.6 million

Disclosure Day – $6 million

While opening weekends grab all the headlines, a movie's second weekend is often where its long-term future becomes much clearer. A strong hold usually points to positive word of mouth, while a sharp decline can signal that interest dried up almost immediately.

There have been recent examples of both outcomes. Earlier this summer, The Mandalorian and Grogu opened to a respectable $81.6 million before falling 70.1% in its second weekend, leading to an underwhelming theatrical run.

On the other hand, Pixar's Elemental opened to just $29.6 million but stuck around for months thanks to excellent audience reactions, eventually earning $496.4 million worldwide.

There was at least some hope that Supergirl might find a similar second life. Critics were split on the film, which currently sits at 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences have been much kinder with a 76% audience score. Unfortunately, positive reactions from those who saw the movie weren't enough to convince larger crowds to show up.

Several factors seem to have worked against the film. Mixed reviews certainly didn't help, but the crowded summer release schedule also made things difficult.

On top of that, superhero movies simply don't enjoy the automatic box office dominance they once did. Audiences have become much more selective on the films they want to watch.

Supergirl is also running out of time to recover. Theater owners will soon begin giving more screens to upcoming tentpole releases, including The Odyssey from Christopher Nolan, followed shortly by Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Both films are generating enormous anticipation, making it difficult to imagine Supergirl holding onto many premium screens through the rest of July.

So far, the film has earned just $100.5 million worldwide, making it increasingly unlikely that it will reverse its fortunes before its theatrical run comes to an end.

It's a disappointing outcome for DC Studios, especially after the strong launch the new DC Universe enjoyed with Superman. Nobody involved wanted Supergirl to become the franchise's first major theatrical disappointment, but that's where things currently stand.

Fortunately, one underperforming movie doesn't automatically define an entire cinematic universe. DC Studios co-head Peter Safran has already stated that the studio remains confident in its long-term plans, and that's probably the healthiest outlook to have.

If upcoming projects like Clayface and Man of Tomorrow connect with audiences, Supergirl may ultimately be remembered as an early setback instead of a sign that the DCU is headed for trouble. Still, this is a result DC Studios can't afford to repeat if it wants to build lasting momentum for its new shared universe.