Supergirl – the latest film from DC Studios – has generated plenty of discussions since its release as part of the 2026 movie schedule, and not all of it has been good. While early reactions to the latest DCU movie were mostly positive, audience and critical reception has been mostly mixed since, and the film is now flopping at the box office. Various film pundits have seemingly been analyzing the situation, trying to assess what happened. Now, insiders are sharing claims about early test screenings, and they were allegedly less than stellar.
As is the case with many major studio films, Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl was subject to test screenings, which are used to test the waters in regard to what hits and what doesn’t hit for audiences. It was reported back in October that DC Studios Co-CEO James Gunn held a secret screening for executives and some close friends. That aside, THR recently reported that Gillespe’s latest movie was marred by creative differences with Gunn, one of the film’s producers and, as a result, the post-production process was supposedly hectic.
Insiders also alleged that the Milly Alcock-led superhero film ultimately had at least four official test screenings held between December 2025 and March 2026. The test scores are tallied out of 100 points, and sources claimed the movie “never escaped” the 60s. However, another source claimed the best score the movie attained was a 70. Yet an additional insider provided a different alleged take, as they claimed the film achieved test scores in the low 70s by the winter after changes were made to the cut.
Still, creative disagreements apparently persisted for different reasons, including the film’s music (and that final-battle needle drop). THR’s sources alleged that, in time, a second cut of the film was produced by the studio and was put into a “bakeoff” with Gillespie’s cut. Apparently, Gillespie’s version was 11 minutes longer and included more of Matthias Schoenaerts’ Krem of the Yellow Hills (the film’s thin and MCU-esque villain). After both cuts screened, scores reportedly dropped all around, but the studios’ won out by only two points.
Where Is All This Supergirl Hate Coming From? Seriously, What Is Going On?
The test screening process can definitely be tedious but, in many ways, it can help indicate how an audience will respond to a film. As for creative disagreements, those can happen as well, and the results can vary. Per a source, a bakeoff “happens more than you think, but it’s not normal.” Regardless of what really happened behind closed doors between Gillespie, Gunn and co. from a creative standpoint, insiders said most of Supergirl’s test scores were in the 60s, which are the scores that fellow DC flicks Shazam! Fury of the Gods and the scrapped Batgirl also apparently earned.
Supergirl’s box office debut was lackluster, with the film only earning $38 million domestically during its opening weekend and finished those first few days with $68 million worldwide. The domestic number was notably below expectations, which had the film earning between $39 million up to $55 million. For context, the film reportedly has a $175 million production budget, and it needs to make somewhere between $315 million and $375 million to break even. As for how the film will perform during this 4th of July holiday weekend, Forbes is forecasting a 73% drop and $10 million domestic haul.
The poor reception to Craig Gillespie’s film isn’t deterring DC Studios, though. Co-CEO Peter Safran acknowledged that the movie’s performance wasn’t what was hoped for, but he emphasized that it was only one part of a larger plan for the DCU. And, per Safran, he, Gunn and his colleagues remain hopeful about their strategy. To that point, Milly Alcock will reprise her role as Kara Zor-El in Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow, which opens in theaters in 2027. I’d imagine execs are hoping for higher test scores when it comes to that movie.
