After questionable remarks from star Milly Alcock, new tracking shows ‘Supergirl’ on track for $200M loss

If there’s one thing modern Hollywood specializes in, it’s unforced errors.

There are dozens of examples of large studio properties that seem like an easy path to profitability. “Marvels” was the continuation of a hugely successful franchise, the very strong Marvel Cinematic Universe. The new release, “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” was part of the expanded Star Wars universe. James Gunn’s newest “Superman” was a remake of one of the most popular comic book characters in history, and the creative talent behind it had already scored mega-hits like “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Instead, these films were financial disappointments to some extent. It’s all thanks to predictable mistakes in the entertainment industry. “The Marvels” arrives after Marvel Studios tarnished its brand by focusing too much on unpopular characters and ticking desirable boxes. It fell dramatically. “The Mandalorian and Grogu” is poised to lose Disney nearly $100 million because they have so successfully disparaged the Star Wars brand over the years. “Snow White” was another massive flop after actress Rachel Zegler spent her entire press campaign trying to undermine it. Although “Superman” nearly flopped, it disappointed at the box office after Gunn made outlandish comments about the film’s supposed political message. Although the film does not have a specific political focus.

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But seemingly outlandish comments and financial failures sum up the James Gunn era at DC Studios. Because the latest pre-release viewing data for this weekend’s “Supergirl” release went from disastrously bad to a colossal failure. And the film’s star, Milly Alcock, is sure to take some of the blame.

As a reminder, Alcock alluded to criticism in a March interview for being a woman playing a female superhero. This doesn’t make much sense.

“It definitely made me realize that being a woman in that space is something that people comment on,” she said. Vanity Fair. “We’re very comfortable with this weird appropriation of women’s bodies. I can’t really stop them. I can just be me.”

When reactions to these remarks were generally negative, Alcock became defensive and doubled down.

“I didn’t even say ‘men’ – I said ‘men’,” he said for profile Diversity. “And they got so angry, ‘You’re proving my point. You’re proving my point!’ I thought.”

Apparently, she didn’t realize that these words proved that she was actually talking about unknown male fans who criticized her for playing “Supergirl.” But that wasn’t the only strange statement he made during that part of the press tour.

Alcock said most of the criticism comes from people who say they are “fathers” or “Christians.” Apparently this keeps them from having an opinion on a movie or casting decision. Or that any comment is supposedly hypocritical.

“And that’s coming from a lot of people who have burner accounts that don’t have a photo on their profile,” Alcock said. “Or someone’s name followed by ‘Father of four, Christian,’ which is hilarious to me.”

As if that wasn’t enough, just a few days ago Alcock addressed the sexuality of his “Supergirl” character in response to a question. Weird Radio. When the host asked if this was something Alcock “discovered” his character’s so-called “weirdness” in preparation for the role, he replied: “It wasn’t, but in honor of ‘Pride month,’ because I’m getting all these questions… I don’t know. I think what makes this movie great is that it doesn’t center around a man, it doesn’t center around love at all. I really don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. It probably goes both ways.”

It’s like watching the “Snow White” debacle resurface years later.

Milly Alcock poses on the red carpet at the 5th Annual Academy Museum of Motion Picture Gala at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on October 18, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Frazer Harrison/WireImage)

Relatedly, as the film’s release on June 26th is fast approaching, new box office tracking data is also emerging. In May, Box Office Theory estimates “Supergirl” could make as much as $65 million in its opening weekend. Even that would be a disappointment, considering the film’s estimated $250 million cost between production and marketing. Given the 50/50 revenue split between studios and theaters, a $250 million movie generally needs to hit $500 million worldwide to break even. And in fact, original marketing estimates may be low. new report says The film received a $100 million “promotional partner” campaign, the largest ever for DC.

By comparison, “Superman” opened to $125 million domestic and reached $618 million worldwide. Half the first weekend gross would make reaching $500 million nearly impossible, and even reaching $400 million would be unlikely at best.

Things have gotten worse since then. Much, much worse.

In their latest updates, Box Office Theory It currently puts “Supergirl’s” weekend gross at $39 million to $51 million. This represents a decrease of $8-14 million from previous estimates. This spells disaster for Hollywood and DC Studios.

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Considering the midpoint of those numbers, a $45 million opening weekend would be a colossal failure. Big budget movies usually bring in around 40-45% of their total gross in the first weekend. Especially during the busy summer season when high-profile movies hit theaters every week. This translates to a total domestic gross in the range of $100-108 million. Even if it doubled that total in international markets, a $300 million total would still leave Warner Bros. and would mean a loss of approximately $200 million for DC Studios.

“Supergirl” was probably never going to be a big hit for DC. This is a character that hasn’t garnered much fan interest, and Gunn failed to generate interest and momentum for the new version of the “expanded universe” in the DC Studios world with “Superman.”

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Director James Gunn attends a “Superman” fan event in London’s Leicester Square on July 2, 2025. (Kate Green/Getty Images)

But they could maximize fan interest and return on investment with better story ideas, marketing and public relations. The trailer of the movie did not look original and interesting. Alcock’s name is virtually unknown, and instead of creating a positive profile for himself and the film, he came off as unlikable and divisive on the press tour.

This isn’t rocket science. Don’t alienate potential customers by unnecessarily turning them into enemies. While the subject should be the movie and its attributes, don’t make yourself the center of the story. This may not guarantee financial success, but it won’t hurt the box office either. Instead, Alcock did the opposite. He made everything about himself, his views and ideology. It’s his choice, but when he fails, he’ll take some of the blame. And boy oh boy, does it look like this movie is going to fail.