UPDATED: “Supergirl” is struggling to take flight at the box office.
The comic book adaptation, a space adventure revolving around Superman’s cousin, debuted to a disappointing $37.1 million from 3,600 North American theaters and $62.6 million globally. Monday’s final tally is below Sunday’s estimate of $38 million domestically and $68 million worldwide.
Heading into the weekend, the Warner Bros. and DC Studios film was targeting a domestic start of around $50 million to $55 million, which already would have been a soft launch for such a big-budget tentpole. Initial ticket sales are concerning for the studio because the movie’s polarizing reception, as well as the intense competition during the peak of summer movie season, could limit its theatrical staying power. That would be a problem because “Supergirl” carries a substantial $170 million price tag, not including the mega marketing budget. Although economics vary from studio to studio, a movie of this size would need to earn at least $375 million to break even since cinema owners get to keep roughly half of revenues. A source close to the film says the breakeven point for “Supergirl” is closer to $300 million.
Critics didn’t like “Supergirl,” which holds a 56% on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences appear mixed, with a “B-” grade on CinemaScore exit polls. Initial crowds were 59% male, meaning the film didn’t break out beyond the core superhero fanbase. Milly Alcock plays Supergirl, who travels through the cosmos with her trusty pup Krypto the Superdog. When she encounters an alien girl named Ruthye, she reluctantly joins her on a quest for vengeance and justice. Craig Gillespie, best known for “I, Tonya” and “Cruella,” directed the film from a script by Ana Nogueira (“The Vampire Diaries”).
“Supergirl” arrives a year after “Superman,” which rebooted the DC Universe under the direction of James Gunn and Peter Safran. That film, starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, made $125 million and ended its run with $618 million, a decent result at a time when superhero movies have been worryingly Earth-bound. After the debut of “Superman,” Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO David Zaslav championed the “bold 10-year plan” of the new DC Universe, saying the “vision is clear, the momentum is real.” Yet the start for “Supergirl” indicates the road to building an interconnected film franchise (and fashioning a rival to Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe) has hit its first speed bump.
Moreover, “Superman” had the benefit of centering on one of the most recognizable heroes of all time, while his cousin Kara Zor-El, a.k.a. Supergirl, isn’t a household name. The staying power of “Supergirl” could signal whether lesser-known characters get the big screen treatment, or if future installments in the DC Universe will focus solely on marquee characters. Up next is October’s “Clayface,” which carries a substantially smaller $40 million budget, followed by 2027’s “Superman: Man of Tomorrow,” which brings back two heavyweights, Corenswet’s Clark Kent and Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor, as the adversaries team up to take down a bigger threat.
This weekend’s other newcomer, “Jackass: Best and Last,” also stumbled at the box office with $8.4 million from 2,855 venues. The film faltered overseas with $1.9 million from 19 markets for a global debut of $10.3 million. Those ticket sales rank as the worst opening in the prank comedy series that’s all about risking life, limb and dignity. To compare, 2022’s “Jackass Forever,” the property’s prior installment, debuted to $23 million domestically and ended up with $80 million globally. However, “Jackass 5” cost just $10 million to produce, so it doesn’t need to earn much to turn a theatrical profit.
For “Jackass: Best and Last,” critics and audiences actually liked the R-rated reckless prank sequel, which carries an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes and “A-” grade on CinemaScore. One reason the new entry didn’t bring out a bigger crowd is because the film isn’t entirely original; “Best and Last” features stars Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Wee Man and their other daredevil friends in a compilation of new and old stunts and skits.
“This is a weak opening [and] a sharp drop from the last opening in the series,” says David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe. However, he adds that “very few comedies reach a fifth episode — that in itself is an accomplishment. And this one should be profitable, even without strong overseas business.”
Neither of the new releases was close to dethroning Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5,” which ruled again with $70 million in its second weekend of release. That’s a standard 55% decline from its huge $160 million debut. The fifth installment in the generation-spanning franchise is poised to be one of the year’s highest-grossing releases with $297 million domestically and $585 million globally after just 12 days in theaters. “Toy Story 5” is also expected to wind up as the biggest entry in the 31-year-old franchise, a record that currently belongs to “Toy Story 4” with $1.07 billion.
“Obsession” slid to the No. 3 spot, ranking behind “Supergirl” and ahead of “Jackass: Best and Last.” Now in its seventh weekend of release, the box office juggernaut has earned $9.8 million from 2,965 locations, a mere 27% decline in ticket sales. The low-budget horror sensation has generated $233.9 million domestically and $370 million worldwide, making “Obsession” a wildly profitable success for both Focus Features and theater owners.
Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi adventure “Disclosure Day” rounded out the top five with $8.1 million from 3,357 venues, a 54% drop from the prior weekend. So far, “Disclosure Day” has generated $94.3 million in North America and $193 million globally after three weekends on the big screen. Since the PG-13 movie cost $115 million, “Disclosure Day” is estimated to need around $300 million globally to be profitable.
Among specialty titles, A24’s comedy “The Invite” grossed $379,104 on just seven screens in New York and Los Angeles, translating to a strong $54,158 per location. The movie’s commercial appeal will be tested as it continues to roll out in select markets before expanding nationwide on July 10. Olivia Wilde directed the well-reviewed “The Invite,” in which she and Seth Rogen play a bickering married couple who host a dinner party for their far more free-spirited upstairs neighbors (Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton).
Although this weekend’s nationwide releases didn’t live up to expectations, Hollywood is enjoying the best summer season since COVID, with revenues just 1.7% behind 2019, according to Rentrak. Next weekend is July 4th, which sees the release of the family-friendly “Despicable Me” spinoff “Minions & Monsters,” with tentpoles like Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” on the horizon.
“Those lovable little Minions will provide some box office fireworks,” predicts Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak’s head of marketplace trends. “The summer hit parade just keeps rolling along.”
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