Supergirl reportedly fast-tracks digital release after brutal second weekend
After a bruising 73% second-weekend slide, Supergirl is speeding to digital earlier than expected, with an at-home release reportedly landing soon.
If you were holding out hope for Supergirl to swoop in and save the DCU box office this summer, you might want to sit down. The film has officially crashed and burned at cinemas, managing a global haul of just $100 million—which, for a superhero film from Warner Bros., is about as catastrophic as it gets. The second weekend didn't offer much relief either, with a nasty 73% drop in audiences. Don’t expect to see her flying on the big screen for much longer.
Supergirl Heading to Digital (Very) Soon
No official word from Warner Bros. yet, but the industry grapevine has it that Supergirl is lined up for a digital release on 28 June. Which, if you’re counting, means this caped adventure will have barely spent a month tucked away in cinemas before shifting over to premium video-on-demand. You can tell they’re not exactly brimming with confidence on this one.
The DCU's New Favourite Trick
This isn’t just a panic move for box office flops—a quick jump to digital is sort of the new normal at DC Studios, for hits or misses. Case in point: last year's Superman also popped up on digital barely 35 days post-premiere, despite doing… well, a lot better than Supergirl. But that wasn’t just about cashing in early. There was a bit of scheduling chess going on.
James Gunn, DC Studios co-boss, explained the Superman digital rush like this:
Peacemaker being the John Cena-led show that suddenly dictates all DC scheduling, apparently. Welcome to 2026.
So, What Is Supergirl Actually About?
This latest attempt was directed by Craig Gillespie (the bloke behind I, Tonya) and scripted by Ana Nogueira. The story lifts from the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comics by Tom King and Bilquis Evely, which, to be honest, had a pretty solid reputation before this adaptation came along.
The plot is straightforward enough: Ruthye Marye Knoll, who’s not just any young alien girl but one with a grudge (her dad’s been murdered and the killer’s on the loose), ropes in Supergirl for a good old-fashioned revenge mission. Ruthye’s all set to go full-on vigilante if Kara doesn’t help, so the stakes are a bit higher than your standard 'save the world' routine.
The Cast, For Better or Worse
- Milly Alcock (of House of the Dragon fame) steps in as Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl
- Eve Ridley (3 Body Problem) as Ruthye Marye Knoll
- Matthias Schoenaerts (Rust and Bone) as Krem of the Yellow Hill
- David Krumholtz (Oppenheimer) as Zor-El
- Emily Beecham (1899) as Alura
- Jason Momoa as Lobo, which is basically his dream role finally coming true
Weirdly enough, the cast is probably the best thing going for Supergirl. Our own Chris Bumbray reckoned that Milly Alcock was fantastic in the lead, but found the film itself painfully generic. Tyler Nichols, at least, found a bit more to enjoy. If you’re keen on more detailed reviewing—one glowing, one mildly exasperated—you can dig into both takes on our review page.