Inside the Turmoil Over Supergirl's Creative Direction
WHO:
Screen Rant - Milly Alcock stars as Kara Zor-El in the Supergirl movie.
The Hollywood Reporter - Craig Gillespie is the filmmaker for Supergirl; James Gunn and Peter Safran run DC Studios.
WHAT:
The Hollywood Reporter - The test scores for Supergirl dropped significantly during the bakeoff, with the studio's cut edging out Gillespie's by only two points.
The Hollywood Reporter - The movie's top test score was 70, with most scores remaining in the 60s.
The Hollywood Reporter - The studio's cut was chosen for theaters despite Gillespie's version scoring strongly on song choices, pacing, and villain.
The Hollywood Reporter - The movie had a nine-day shoot of additional photography.
The Hollywood Reporter - The climactic fight in the movie was reconfigured during post-production.
The Hollywood Reporter - The studio's insider stated that the differences between the two cuts were not particularly pronounced.
The Hollywood Reporter - Safran commented, “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.”
The Hollywood Reporter - The movie's opening weekend gross of $37.1 million was lower than the 2024 film Joker: Folie a Deux, which opened to $37.6 million.
The Hollywood Reporter - The studio's cut of Supergirl edged out Gillespie's version by only two points in test screenings.
The Hollywood Reporter - The movie had at least four test screenings, with the last ones held in February and March of the current year.
The Hollywood Reporter - The studio's cut was chosen for theaters despite Gillespie's version scoring strongly on song choices, pacing, and villain.
The Hollywood Reporter - Supergirl had a budget in the $180 million range.
The Hollywood Reporter - The movie grossed $37.1 million on its opening weekend.
The Hollywood Reporter - The highest test score for Supergirl was 70, with most scores in the 60s.
The Hollywood Reporter - The studio created two competing cuts of the movie, one by Gillespie and one by the studio.
The Hollywood Reporter - Gillespie's version was 11 minutes longer and featured more of the villain, Krem, played by Matthias Schoenaerts.
The Hollywood Reporter - The studio's cut edged out Gillespie's by only two points in test screenings.
WHERE:
The Hollywood Reporter - The movie is produced by DC Studios, a division of Warner Bros.
WHEN:
The Hollywood Reporter - A Superman spinoff focusing on Jimmy Olsen is set to shoot in the fall of 2026.
The Hollywood Reporter - Filming wrapped in May 2025.
The Hollywood Reporter - Test screenings were held in December 2025, February, and March of the following year.
The Hollywood Reporter - Man of Tomorrow, directed by Gunn, is slated to open July 9, 2027.
The Hollywood Reporter - The Batman: Part II is scheduled for release on October 1, 2027.
WHY:
The Hollywood Reporter - The failure of Supergirl has put a scrutinizing spotlight on Gunn, who has positioned himself as the face of the company.
The Hollywood Reporter - The failure of Supergirl is seen as a significant setback for DC Studios, which needed the film to succeed to prove it could expand beyond projects directed by Gunn.
The Hollywood Reporter - The movie was a key test for DC Studios to prove it could expand beyond projects directed by Gunn.
The Hollywood Reporter - There were creative differences between Gunn and Gillespie regarding the direction of the movie.
HOW:
The Hollywood Reporter - The studio decided to create two competing cuts after test scores improved and hit the low 70s, leading to a bakeoff between Gillespie's and the studio's versions.
The Hollywood Reporter - The studio took charge of post-production after a December test screening proved to be just okay.
The Hollywood Reporter - Gunn enlisted writer Jeremy Slater to assist with post-production.
The Hollywood Reporter - The movie employed two editors: Tatiana S. Riegel and Fred Raskin.
(UPDATED July 4, 2026 04:10 UTC)
The test scores for the upcoming movie Supergirl dropped significantly during the bakeoff, with the studio's cut narrowly edging out Gillespie's version by just two points, despite Gillespie's strong performance in areas like song choices and pacing. The movie's highest test score was 70, with most scores lingering in the 60s, and it underwent a nine-day shoot for additional photography, including a reconfigured climactic fight during post-production. Looking ahead, a Superman spinoff focusing on Jimmy Olsen is set to shoot in the fall of 2026, as the failure of Supergirl has placed a scrutinizing spotlight on Gunn, who has become the face of the company.
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(UPDATED July 4, 2026 01:29 UTC)
The opening weekend for the new Supergirl movie brought in $37.1 million, falling short of the $37.6 million earned by the 2024 film Joker: Folie a Deux. Despite Gillespie's version performing well in test screenings, the studio ultimately chose its own cut for theaters, edging out Gillespie's by just two points. This setback is seen as a significant blow for DC Studios, which was counting on Supergirl to demonstrate its ability to thrive beyond projects directed by Gunn.
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(UPDATED July 3, 2026 23:23 UTC)
Milly Alcock stars as Kara Zor-El in the upcoming Supergirl movie, directed by Craig Gillespie and produced by DC Studios, a division of Warner Bros. The film had a budget in the $180 million range and grossed $37.1 million during its opening weekend, with test screenings revealing a highest score of 70, while the studio's cut narrowly edged out Gillespie's version by just two points. Filming wrapped in May 2025, and the studio took charge of post-production after initial screenings, bringing in writer Jeremy Slater and employing editors Tatiana S. Riegel and Fred Raskin to refine the final product.