DC's Sci-Fi Superhero Flop Finally Finds an Audience on Streaming

The new era of DC began with a bang on the big screen with David Corenswet's Superman, a bright, not-so-serious take on the popular character that fans have been demanding for a very long time. Writer-director James Gunn brought his colorful, grounded, and optimistic take on the character, which became a worldwide phenomenon and promised a better tomorrow for the overall universe.

After introducing Kal-El, the DC team decided to launch House of the Dragon vet Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl. Written by Ana Nogueira, the movie was helmed by Craig Gillespie, whose credits include I, Tonya, Cruella, and Dumb Money. Based on the character created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino, and inspired by Tom King's Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comics, the movie follows Kara Zor-El, who travels the galaxy with her dog Krypto to celebrate her 21st birthday. On this journey, she meets a young woman and embarks on a "murderous quest for revenge" on her behalf. The film chronicles the story of Kara's darker origins before she found Earth and met her cousin Clark (Corenswet).

Supergirl addresses relatable themes like surviving and healing from trauma, the importance of being kind, which demands real sacrifice and action. It was applauded for tackling darker, mature real-world elements despite its PG-13 rating. Alcock was universally praised for her compelling, rough-around-the-edges portrayal of Supergirl. However, nothing could save it from being a box office disappointment. Supporting Alcock in the cast are Jason Momoa as Lobo, Eve Ridley as Ruthye Marye, and Matthias Schoenaerts playing the villain, Krem of the Yellow Hills. Furthermore, David Krumholtz plays Kara's father, Zor-El, with Emily Beecham portraying her mother, Alura In-Ze.

With a big production budget of approximately $170–186 million, Supergirl concluded its theatrical run grossing just $125.9–$126.4 million worldwide. This resulted in an estimated $100 million loss for Warner Bros. Further, it got a 56% Rotten Tomatoes rating from critics owing to its uneven pacing and muddled narrative, among other things. Nonetheless, fans were kinder with their 77% Rotten Tomatoes rating and are now catapulting the feature to new heights.

'Supergirl' Soars on Streaming

Supergirl is the top film on HBO Max's global top 10 list, as per FlixPatrol. It stands atop features like Halle Berry's supernatural horror Never Let Go, Paul W. S. Anderson's In The Lost Lands, Crazy Old Lady, Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt's Interview with The Vampire, and more.