Comic book movies have been dominating the film industry for well over a decade now, with various cinematic universes competing at the box office. Fans who spent years watching the DC movies in order know the newest DC movie is Craig Gillespie's Supergirl (which is streaming now with an HBO Max subscription). The movie got a bunch of crap after its release, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. And I need moviegoers to stop letting down every female-led superhero movie. Because most of them are pretty great.
Despite coming off the success of James Gunn's Superman, the Supergirl movie failed to perform at the box office when it hit theaters in June. Unfortunately, this follows the trend of other comic book movies led by women. And I've found that those movies' financial performance had nothing to do with the actual quality of the films.
Supergirl, Birds of Prey, And The Marvels Deserved Better
Cinephiles who have been closely monitoring the superhero genre may have noticed that movies led by women are often met with backlash, and even boycotts from the hardcore fandom. We saw this when The Marvels became the MCU's biggest box office bomb, as well as when Birds of Prey failed to break even against its budget. But just like Supergirl, I thoroughly enjoyed both of those titles. These movies had something to say and talented casts, so what's the issue?
My favorite superhero movies have a unique POV, and generally balance between drama, action, and moments of comedy. Supergirl did just that, as Milly Alcock's hero was an alcoholic who was struggling with immense grief. The House of the Dragon actor's performance was strong, but not enough people went to theaters to see it. Perhaps the movie's popularity on HBO Max will give her the chance to get another solo flick.
Personally, Birds of Prey was my absolute favorite movie from the former DCEU, which is now gone in favor of co-CEO James Gunn's new shared universe. I loved its irreverent tone and the way it introduced beloved DC heroes like Huntress, Black Canary, and Renee Montoya. Unfortunately, we never got a sequel thanks to its poor box office performance.
I feel similarly about The Marvels. Nia DaCosta is a filmmaker who always delivers quality, but sometimes suffers at the box office. Despite her Marvel movie serving as a sequel to Captain Marvel, WandaVision, and Ms. Marvel, the fandom refused to show up at theaters. The movie's stars weren't included in the Avengers: Doomsday cast, despite The Marvels' credits scene setting up the return of the OG X-Men stars.
To me, the problem is clear: there's a bias against women-led superhero projects. And not only is this a disservice to the quality of those projects, I think it's failing the genre as a whole. Hopefully something changes in the future.
Supergirl is streaming now on HBO Max as part of the 2026 movie release list. The next upcoming DC movie is Clayface on October 23rd. We'll just have to see if that title is able to perform at the box office.
