Box Office Struggles for ‘Supergirl’ Amid ‘Toy Story 5’ Success

Warner Bros.’ latest DC movie, “Supergirl,” opened in second place at the box office, falling short against Pixar’s “Toy Story 5.” After a near-record debut, “Toy Story 5” retained its No. 1 spot with $70 million in domestic sales and $89.1 million overseas, according to studio estimates released Sunday. The Walt Disney Co. release has already reached $585 million globally within two weeks, positioning it as a major hit.

“Supergirl” managed to collect $38 million in the U.S. and Canadian theaters, along with $30 million internationally. Directed by Craig Gillespie, this superhero spinoff is the second film under the guidance of James Gunn and Peter Safran, who took charge of DC Studios in late 2022. Their previous release, “Superman” in 2025, earned $618 million globally. However, “Supergirl” faced negative reviews, with a 56% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a “B-” CinemaScore from audiences. The movie’s opening weekend was behind other DC films like “The Flash” ($55 million) and “The Green Lantern” ($53 million), and only slightly ahead of “Joker: Folie à Deux” ($37.7 million).

David A. Gross from the consulting firm FranchiseRe observed a decrease in box office success for superhero movies, which have seen declines of $3.5 billion annually from their 2017-2019 peaks. After the success of films like “Wonder Woman” ($822 million) and “Captain Marvel” ($1.13 billion), female-fronted superhero movies are experiencing a downturn. “You’ll hear general explanations like ‘the audience lost interest.’ Yes, they did,” said Gross. “But no one has been able to explain why it happened so suddenly and so completely. Why female superheroes in particular, after their sensational starts? We don’t understand it either.”

“Supergirl,” which cost $170 million to produce, comes at a challenging time as Warner Bros. Discovery is preparing for potential acquisition by Paramount Skydance. David Ellison, the CEO of Paramount, recently had discussions with Gunn and Safran. The next DC release, “Clayface,” is set for October, and Gunn’s next, “Man of Tomorrow,” is expected in July 2027.

Elsewhere at the box office, Paramount Pictures’ “Jackass: Best and Last” debuted with $8.4 million from 2,855 theaters. The film, a compilation of stunts, cost $10 million to make. The previous entry, “Jackass Forever,” opened with $23 million and grossed $80 million worldwide. Olivia Wilde’s dinner party comedy “The Invite” saw $379,104 on its opening on seven screens, making it one of the best per-screen averages of the year. Wilde directed and stars in the film alongside Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton. A24 acquired the film after its Sundance premiere, with plans for wide release.

The micro-budget horror film “Obsession” remained strong, taking third place domestically with $9.8 million in its seventh weekend, amassing $233.9 million in domestic receipts. In comparison, Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi thriller “Disclosure Day” earned $8.1 million in its third weekend, grossing $193.7 million globally so far.

Top 10 movies by domestic box office for the weekend:

• “Toy Story 5,” $70 million.
• “Supergirl,” $38 million.
• “Obsession,” $9.8 million.
• “Jackass: Best and Last,” $8.4 million.
• “Disclosure Day,” $8.1 million.
• “Backrooms,” $4.3 million.
• “Scary Movie,” $3 million.
• “Masters of the Universe,” $2.2 million.
• “Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity,” $2 million.
• “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” $1.6 million.