I’m going to see Supergirl at the movies tonight. I regret that my box office revenue (although it IS so miniscule in the big picture) won’t count towards the opening weekend box office tally. Seems like they really needed it.
Since the weekend was over, I’m seeing so much analysis about why this movie “failed”, who made it fail, and what everyone should’ve done differently.
Did it “fail”? Didn’t it just open this weekend? One of my cousins, who saw the movie and liked it, said “Oh my goodness, it has only been open a minute. It seems like a lot of people are just waiting for it to fail.” Maybe she’s right.
On the other hand, Hollywood math is merciless. On Monday, stories popped up like this one from Deadline Hollywood: How ‘Supergirl’ Ran Into Kryptonite At The Box Office: Superman’s Cousin To Lose $125M. It turns out is almost impossible for this movie even break even, given movie going trends and box office patterns.
I just loved Tom King’s and Bilquis Evely’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic series. And I made it a part of the ITHACON class I teach. And at ITHACON, the convention, we had a Supergirl showcase, exhibiting one collector’s Supergirl comics and toys. It seemed like there was a lot of enthusiasm for that too.
When I noticed that one my granddaughters, Lula, likes the new Wednesday Adams TV series, I thought I had stumbled up the secret of this movie’s marketing. I thought the sullen heroine bit was perfect for a summer movie in 2026.
How wrong was I?
One of my Captain Action pals posted this analysis from a mother who saw this movie with her three daughters. These girls loved it. The mom asked them why they think that men 15-50 might not like the film. They had some good insights.
No matter how you slice it, this stumble is a real drag. It’s a drag for the comics creators, the folks who make the movies, the fans, and so many more. I’m particularly empathetic to all licensees who created Supergirl merch in anticipation of great sales success.
I’ll leave it to smarter people than me to figure out what happened, and why the public didn’t love this movie. I’m STILL going to see it tonight. I excited and I anticipate just loving it!
