DC Studios is heading into the Supergirl rollout with a problem money can’t paper over: the first wave of Supergirl reviews is rough. With the embargo lifted, the film has landed at 49 on Metacritic from 38 reviews and 59% on Rotten Tomatoes, a chilly reception for a movie that needs skeptical viewers to take a leap. It opens in theaters on June 26.
The sting is not just the scores, but the tone. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman delivered a particularly brutal verdict, calling it the kind of comic-book movie that undercuts James Gunn’s own push to rebuild the genre around stronger storytelling. That’s awkward timing for DC, which is trying to convince audiences that a new era really is different this time.
Supergirl reviews point to a weak opening for DC Studios
Supergirl is also arriving with an early box-office forecast that looks thin next to its cost. Current opening-weekend estimates sit at $40 million to $45 million, while production is said to have cost $175 million. That is not the sort of math studio executives like to explain in public, especially for a franchise that is still trying to reset its identity after years of uneven DC results.
There is some wider industry pressure here too. Superhero films can still open big when the hook is strong, but audiences have become far less forgiving of mediocre word of mouth. Recent comic-book releases have made that painfully clear: a recognizable brand gets the first ticket, but reviews increasingly decide whether the second weekend holds or collapses.
Ana Nogueira becomes the surprise pressure point
Another reason the criticism stings is that Supergirl is not just any one-off project. The screenplay is credited to Ana Nogueira, an actor and playwright for whom this was effectively a first major feature-writing assignment. Gunn has also trusted her with scripts for ”Teen Titans” and ”Wonder Woman,” which means this reception now lands on a key creative partner in DC’s rebuilding plan.
That makes the reaction more than a bad review cycle. If DC wants its new universe to look deliberate rather than improvised, it needs at least some of these bets to look smart on screen. For now, the evidence suggests Supergirl will have to fight uphill from opening weekend onward, and the real question is whether audiences will be kinder than critics once the movie reaches theaters on June 26.