DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran is weighing in after Supergirl experienced some turbulence at the box office during its opening weekend.
The executive, who leads the company with James Gunn, told the New York Times on Sunday that he remains confident of the strategy and slate that the pair laid out in early 2023, shortly after assuming their roles. Starring Milly Alcock as the titular superhero, Supergirl hit theaters Friday from Warner Bros. and collected $38 million domestically, which followed pre-release projections suggesting the opening could be closer to $50 million. The global weekend sum for director Craig Gillespie’s film stands at $68 million.
“While Supergirl didn’t meet our box office expectations, it’s just one component of a broader, long-term strategy at DC Studios that we remain confident in,” Safran told the publication.
Marking the second big-screen project from Safran and Gunn’s DC Universe slate, Supergirl centers on Kara Zor-El, the cousin of the Man of Steel, as she encounters Jason Momoa’s Lobo and other comics staples. The project arrives a year after Superman landed in theaters with David Corenswet in the lead, with that film scoring $618 million globally. Supergirl carries a budget of $170 million, making it less of a lift than Superman’s $225 million sum.
Up next for DC Studios’ film side is this October’s body horror title Clayface, starring Tom Rhys Harries in the lead role. Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow flies into theaters next July.
The company’s television projects include animated series Creature Commandos, which has been renewed for a second season. Set to debut in August is Lanterns, which stars Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre as Green Lantern characters Hal Jordan and John Stewart, respectively. Separate from the DC Universe is the Emmy-winning series The Penguin, which sees Colin Farrell reprise his role as the titular DC character that he first portrayed opposite Robert Pattinson in Matt Reeves’ 2022 feature The Batman.
At the Supergirl premiere earlier this month, executive producer Lars P. Winther told The Hollywood Reporter that the DC Universe slate has the support of David Ellison, the Paramount Skydance chairman and CEO whose company’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery recently earned the Department of Justice’s approval. “He’s been great with us,” Winther noted.
