Real Viewers Disappointed with "Supergirl": Film Becomes DC's Second Worst 21st Century Project According to CinemaScore

It seems James Gunn and Peter Safran's new film has lost its chance to boost box office revenue through word-of-mouth.

"Supergirl" received a B− rating from CinemaScore. For the new DC Studios film, this is an alarming signal: among DC comic book adaptations released in the 21st century, only "Joker: Folie à Deux" received a lower rating, with a D.

It is also noteworthy that no film from the previous DCEU cinematic universe ever dropped to a B−. Even the controversially received "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," "Black Adam," "Aquaman 2," and "The Flash" all received at least a B. Against this backdrop, James Gunn's second film in the new cinematic universe showed the worst result among all projects of the closed DCEU.

In the industry, CinemaScore is considered one of the most reliable indicators of audience reaction. Unlike Rotten Tomatoes or IMDb, this rating cannot be massively lowered through "review bombing": the company surveys viewers immediately after screenings as they exit the cinema. Therefore, studios closely monitor this indicator — it often reflects the potential for "word-of-mouth" and influences subsequent box office dynamics.

The overall picture is confirmed by other aggregators. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has 57% positive critical reviews (255 reviews) and a 76% audience rating. On Metacritic, the film received 49 out of 100 points from specialized press (54 reviews), and the average user score is 5.4 out of 10.

Against this background, expectations for opening weekend box office have also significantly worsened. While analysts initially predicted a debut of around $65 million in the US, current estimates have settled in the range of $39-40 million. For a film with a production budget of approximately $175-186 million, such a start significantly complicates the path to profitability, although final conclusions can only be drawn after the first weeks of global release.