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Supergirl’s theatrical run has officially ended, and the new DCU movie made less than Morbius and Joker 2
Supergirl, the latest instalment in DC Studios' rebooted DC Universe, has ended its cinema run having taken in less money worldwide than two of recent Hollywood's most notorious box-office disappointments, Morbius and Joker: Folie à Deux. The result marks a rocky start for the DCU's post-Superman slate under studio bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran, and raises fresh questions about audience appetite for DC's newer, lesser-known characters on the big screen.
The film, based on the "Woman of Tomorrow" comic run, struggled to draw crowds despite generally solid reviews, finishing its theatrical release with a lower global total than both the widely mocked Morbius (2022) and the critically panned Joker sequel (2024). Its underperformance is likely to fuel debate over Warner Bros' marketing and release strategy for the DCU, and over whether the studio should lean more heavily on established stars and franchises rather than newer heroes to draw audiences into cinemas.
In short
- Supergirl's cinema run has ended after a disappointing global box office haul.
- It made less money than both Morbius and Joker: Folie à Deux.
- Result raises doubts about the DCU's box office strategy under James Gunn.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The underperformance validates a pragmatic studio approach: audiences have finite cinema budgets and gravitate toward familiar franchises and established characters they already know. With substantial marketing costs required to build awareness for lesser-known heroes from scratch, studios achieve more reliable returns by developing proven properties and established stars, where audience interest and brand recognition already exist to leverage.
The case against
A single film's performance reflects execution, marketing strategy, and release timing rather than proving character viability as a concept. The MCU successfully built audiences for initially obscure heroes like Iron Man and Guardians of the Galaxy through sustained investment; abandoning lesser-known DC characters after one release limits franchise growth and invites creative stagnation. The film's solid reviews suggest marketing fell short rather than the character inherently lacking appeal, and rushing to conclusions forecloses the long-term audience development that builds enduring franchises.
Explained simply
DC Studios is rebuilding its film universe around characters from DC Comics, the publisher behind heroes such as Superman, Batman and Supergirl. The new plan is led by studio bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran, who oversee which films are made and how they fit together.
Supergirl is Superman’s cousin, Kara Zor-El, and the film draws on a comic story called Woman of Tomorrow. A cinema run is the period when a film is shown in cinemas; worldwide box-office takings are the money it earns from ticket sales across countries.
The film’s performance matters because studios use ticket sales, reviews and audience interest to judge which characters and stories to develop next. Comparisons with Morbius and Joker: Folie à Deux put the result in the context of other recent DC-related releases, while also drawing attention to questions about how new films are marketed and scheduled.