"Supergirl" is having a hard time doing well at the box office.The movie is based on a comic book and is about Superman's cousin, and it made only $38 million from 3,600 theaters in North America and $68 million worldwide.The studio expected it to make around $50 million to $55 million in the US, which is already not great for a big movie.The movie's mixed reviews and strong competition during the summer movie season are making it hard for the film to stay popular in theaters.That's a problem because the movie cost a lot to make—$170 million, not including the marketing.To break even, it needs to make at least $375 million because theaters keep about half of the money.A person close to the movie says the break-even point is actually around $300 million.
Critics were not happy with "Supergirl," which has a 56% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Audiences also had mixed feelings, giving it a "B-" on CinemaScore.The movie mostly drew in male viewers, so it didn't attract a wider audience beyond superhero fans.Milly Alcock plays Supergirl, who goes on a journey with her dog Krypto and meets an alien girl named Ruthye, whom she helps with a revenge mission.The movie was directed by Craig Gillespie, who has directed other films like "I, Tonya" and "Cruella," and written by Ana Nogueira, who worked on "The Vampire Diaries."
"Supergirl" comes a year after "Superman," which was a reboot of the DC Universe.
That movie made $125 million and ended up with $618 million worldwide, which is a decent result for a superhero movie.Warner Bros.Discovery's CEO, David Zaslav, talked about a 10-year plan to build up the DC Universe, saying the plan was clear and moving forward.But the weak start of "Supergirl" shows that this plan might be facing some challenges.
"Superman" had the advantage of being about one of the most famous superheroes, while Supergirl, Kara Zor-El, isn't as well-known.
The success of "Supergirl" might show whether lesser-known characters get big-screen treatment or if future DC movies will only focus on popular characters.The next movie is "Clayface," which is a smaller budget film, and then there's "Superman: Man of Tomorrow" in 2027 with popular actors returning.
Another movie this weekend was "Jackass: Best and Last," which didn't do well, making $8.4 million in the US and $10.3 million worldwide.
That's the worst opening in the series.Compared to "Jackass Forever" which made $23 million in the US and $80 million globally, this one didn't do as well.However, it had a lower budget of $10 million, so it doesn't need to make as much to be profitable.
Critics and audiences actually liked "Jackass: Best and Last," with an 87% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an "A-" on CinemaScore.
The movie had some old and new stunts but wasn't completely new, which might have affected its audience.David A.Gross from FranchiseRe said it's a weak opening but noted that having a fifth movie in the series is an accomplishment and it should be profitable even if it underperformed overseas.
Neither of these new movies came close to beating "Toy Story 5," which remained number one.
It made $70 million in its second weekend, a 55% drop from its first $160 million."Toy Story 5" is on track to be one of the biggest movies of the year with $297 million in the US and $585 million worldwide after 12 days.It's also expected to break the record for the franchise set by "Toy Story 4" with over $1.07 billion.
"Obsession" came in third, behind "Supergirl" and ahead of "Jackass: Best and Last." The movie has been in theaters for seven weeks and made $9.8 million, with a 27% drop in ticket sales.
It has made $233.9 million in the US and $370 million globally, making it a huge success for the studio and theaters.
Steven Spielberg's movie "Disclosure Day" finished fifth, making $8.1 million, a 54% drop from the previous weekend.
It has made $94.3 million in the US and $193 million worldwide after three weekends.Since the movie cost $115 million, it needs about $300 million worldwide to be profitable.
A24's comedy "The Invite" made $379,104 in just seven theaters in New York and Los Angeles, which means it earned about $54,158 per location.The film's success so far is a good sign, but it will be interesting to see how it does as it opens in more places before coming to theaters nationwide on July 10.Olivia Wilde directed "The Invite," which got good reviews.In the movie, she and Seth Rogen play a married couple who argue and host a dinner for their more wild upstairs neighbors, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton.
Even though this weekend's new movies didn't do as well as expected, Hollywood is having its best summer since the start of the pandemic.
Box office numbers are just 1.7% lower than they were in 2019, according to Rentrak.Next weekend is July 4th, and that's when the family-friendly "Minions & Monsters," a spinoff of "Despicable Me," comes out.Other big movies coming up include Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" and "Spider-Man: Brand New Day."
Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Rentrak, says, "Those lovable little Minions will create some box office excitement.
The summer hit parade just keeps going."
