Supergirl legend Helen Slater stands up for Milly Alcock and the DCU’s most polarizing movie

If you were expecting DC's latest Supergirl film to fly high at the box office, you might need to lower those hopes — it's not just you. The numbers didn't exactly soar, but former Supergirl actress Helen Slater is sticking up for the new lead and the movie itself. Slater's got form here: her own turn as Kara Zor-El in 1984 went through a remarkably similar wringer. Let's get into why Helen Slater's defending Milly Alcock, what the fuss is about, and why history seems determined to repeat itself.

The Money Problem

First, the uncomfortable bit: Milly Alcock's Supergirl is underperforming at the box office. Domestically, it's managed to pull in $38 million. Not completely disastrous, but it's well short of what the studio clearly wanted — they were apparently banking on at least $50 million, minimum. There's worry the film might end up costing even more after all's said and done.

Worth noting, by the way: Slater's 1984 Supergirl managed a miserable $14 million back in its day. The phrase 'cult classic' doesn't buy much popcorn.

Supergirl: Then and Now

For anyone without a DC encyclopaedia in their head, here's the context:

• Kara Zor-El/Supergirl: Comic-book icon, cousin to Superman. Slater played her in a Superman spin-off in the 80s (she was about 18 when she got the gig). Alcock takes over as the new big-screen version, whose storyline has her going on a bit of a revenge quest with an alien orphan named Ruthye. Superman (now David Corenswet) also links in, if that helps pin it to the new DC universe.
• Helen Slater's Training Montage: She once trained four months straight and put on 15 pounds of muscle just to get Supergirl fit. She signed up for a three-movie deal — but funny old thing, the sequels were binned after that box office flop.
• Slater is basically DC royalty: She didn't vanish after '84. She popped up as Superman's birth mum Lara-El in Smallville, and as Eliza Danvers (Supergirl's earth mum) in the CW TV series. She even squeezed in a cameo as Supergirl in that slightly too-crowded The Flash flick in 2023.

Helen Slater Speaks Her Mind

Slater's not just showing support out of some sense of 'Supergirl solidarity'. She's seen it all before — and said so to The Hollywood Reporter, dropping this rather unfiltered tidbit (which, frankly, is almost refreshing to hear from anyone in Hollywood):

'I loved the new Supergirl film, I thought Milly Alcock was astonishing — fierce, strong and great comic timing!'

She didn't skirt around her own film's financial failure either, saying straight up:

'I know it didn’t do well because we didn’t make the second and third film.'

No rose-tinted glasses there. She’s also a vocal fan of Alcock's take, putting emphasis on how well she balanced the tough superhero edge with — in her words — actual timing for jokes. Take that as a small win in a sea of doomscrolling.

Where Things Stand

Milly Alcock and the latest Supergirl adventure are still playing in cinemas around the world. The studio may not be thrilled with how it’s faring so far, but at least it can claim a nod of approval from the original Caped Kryptonian.