The DCU's latest theatrical release has made the same mistake as past superhero cinematic universes, including the MCU and the DCEU. Building an entire cinematic universe is not easy, and even the MCU, which has long been seen as the gold standard, has had its misfires. DC Studios is now wiping the slate clean of the old DCEU and restarting fresh with the DCU, with new takes on DC Comics' iconic characters, but the new cinematic universe has fallen into a familiar trap.
On June 26, DC Studios released its second live-action feature film in the new DCU with Supergirl, which comes almost a year after its debut film, Superman. Supergirl held a lot of promise, featuring rising star Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, ex-DCEU actor Jason Momoa as Lobo, and was based on the acclaimed comic Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. However, the reviews and box office returns ultimately showed a different result.
Supergirl has so far failed to even recoup its budget in the weeks since its release, and it received a middling "B-" CinemaScore and stands at 54% on Rotten Tomatoes. It hasn't exactly been a slam dunk debut for Supergirl, and that's already got many concerned about the future of the DCU following such an early failure.
DC Studios' new DCU, under the guidance of James Gunn and Peter Safran, has released three major projects so far since its formation: Superman, Creature Commandos, and Peacemaker Season 2. Superman was a box-office success last year, and both of DC's TV shows received a positive reception, meaning Supergirl has unfortunately become the first "misfire" for the studio. But this shouldn't be seen as a sign of doom for the DCU, because both the MCU and the DCEU made a similar mistake.
The DCU Follows in the Footsteps of the DCEU and MCU
While it's clearly not a good look for a cinematic universe to suffer such a big flop in its early days, it's something that both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe experienced as well.
Marvel Studios had the first major live-action superhero cinematic universe, and it saw success with Iron Man, its first release in 2008. The film was well received by critics, revitalized Robert Downey Jr.'s career, and made a profit at the box office. It wasn't as big as some of the other MCU's box office highs, but it was a strong start to the cinematic universe.
Then, for Marvel Studios' second release, it released The Incredible Hulk barely a month later. The second Marvel movie, which was plagued by behind-the-scenes issues, grossed $265 million worldwide, less than half Iron Man's intake. It was also reviewed far less positively, gaining 68% on Rotten Tomatoes compared to Iron Man's 94%. Even to this day, 35 movies later, The Incredible Hulk is still one of the lowest-rated Marvel films, but it didn't do anything to derail the studio's plans for its cinematic universe, and the MCU quickly recovered.
DC itself is also no stranger to the situation Supergirl is currently in, having experienced a similar thing when launching the DCEU. Zack Snyder's Man of Steel made a big splash at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing solo Superman film of all time with nearly $670 million worldwide. The reviews were less kind, but still, it was a solid start for DC's own rival universe.
Then, three years later, the DCEU's second theatrical release was Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Unlike the DCU or MCU's second releases, Batman v Superman made a lot of money, gaining $874 million worldwide by the end of its run. However, what it made up in box office, it lost in reviews, with Batman v Superman earning a mere 28% on Rotten Tomatoes, which still makes it the second-lowest reviewed film in the DCEU's history. Nevertheless, Warner Bros. continued with its plans for the DCEU, which spawned 14 additional films.
While all three major superhero cinematic universes have now experienced a similar pattern with their second theatrical releases, the MCU and DCEU have proven that one flop doesn't derail an entire universe, and the same can be said for the DCU.
DC Studios has not been deterred by Supergirl's performance and already has several projects in production that can help to mitigate any loss of confidence. Later in 2026, DC Studios will experiment with genre with its release of Clayface, a supervillain horror film focused on the Batman villain. In 2027, the studio will release Man of Tomorrow, a Superman sequel starring David Corsenswet's Superman and a plethora of DC heroes, including the return of Alcock as Supergirl.
While Supergirl wasn't the success story DC Studios may have hoped for, it hasn't stopped the studio from investing in Alcock's character, and it doesn't seem to have changed Gunn or Safran's vision for the DCU going forward. If anything, this seems to be a natural part of the process when building out a superhero cinematic universe, and if the MCU and DCEU have proven anything in retrospect, it's that the best from the DCU is likely still to come.
