DC Studios’ Peter Safran Reacts To Supergirl’s Disappointing Opening, And I’m Just Happy Clayface Is Still Safe
The last weekend of June was supposed to be a huge one for the DCU, with Milly Alcock’s Supergirl taking flight in theaters, bolstered by the cigar-puffing chaos of Jason Momoa’s Lobo. Unfortunately for all involved, the Maiden of Might took a whooping at the box office, with Toy Story 5 winning out by a wide margin and maintaining Buzz and Jessie’s #1 spot from the previous week. Surprisingly enough, James Gunn’s DC Studios co-chair Peter Safran has already spoken out about the lackluster results.
Following weeks of drooping ticket-sale projections, Supergirl’s first weekend of release brought in $38 million domestically, as well as an additional $30 million from around the globe. That $68 million total is obviously nowhere near the film’s reported $175 million budget, and it would take Obsession-levels of word-of-mouth recommendations for the superhero flick to save face in follow-up weeks.
Peter Safran didn’t exactly sugarcoat the financial details when addressing the situation in a statement shared with the New York Times, but he also didn’t pull all of his hair out due to stress. As he put it:
While Supergirl didn’t meet our box office expectations, it’s just one component of a broader, long-term strategy at DC Studios that we remain confident in.
Peter Safran
I do think it’s meaningful that Peter Safran acknowleged the studio execs’ expectations being defied by low audience turnout, and that he didn’t try to spin it as a net positive or anything. Gloating is obviously out of the question, but in 2026, I would much rather hear a plain-Jane, down-the-middle reaction than anything skewing hyperbolic in either direction.
To that end, I also appreciate the fully expected confidence that Supergirl‘s box office isn’t going to implode DC Studios, and that the future is still looking bright. (Or at least the horizon is, if not the point in the deeper future after Paramount takes over Warner Bros.) The phrase “sophomore slump” wasn’t invented with this movie, and it won’t be the last Hollywood franchise release to get tagged with it.
The Pressure Is Now On Clayface, But It’s Not Nearly As Much Pressure
Peter Safran mentioned DC Studios’ “broader, long-term strategy,” but I think even he would agree that the DCU’s long-term success requires the number of profitable releases to be higher than the number of non-profitable releases. (Which isn’t to say Supergirl can’t still make some kind of a profit someday.) So now all eyes are on the nearest upcoming DCU movie, the even more outside-the-box Clayface.
Being an R-rated body horror is automatically working against Clayface, at least in terms of four-quadrant box-office potential. (As a horror nut, I’m drooling out of my faceholes for it.) Having a lesser-known lead like Tom Rhys Harries puts a cap on the reach this might have. Howeverrr…
Going the horror route without A-list stars means director James Watkins could make Clayface for a reported budget of around $40 million, far less than what those Kryptonians’ movies cost, and theoretically far easier to make back during and after its October debut. So there are definitely reasons to feel good about this movie’s chances regardless of what Supergirl did.
For what it’s worth, I’d give Supergirl a soft 3/5 stars. I really enjoyed the characters and world-building, and think the ending was a great way to set up Kara in Man of Tomorrow. (Krem is a zany lunatic.) On the flip side, I wasn’t nearly as into a lot of the direction and story beats, so it’s more of an up-and-down experience than straightforward enjoyment.
