Behind 'Supergirl'*s Flop: Two Rival Cuts, Creative Clashes, and DC's Toughest Test

Test scores are normally supposed to rise; instead, 'Supergirl'*s scores fell during DC Studios' rival-cut showdown ('bakeoff') held last March. The studio, run by James Gunn and Peter Safran, pitted director Craig Gillespie's cut against its own in-house edit — and the results were a major disappointment for everyone who had put work into the project. 'Supergirl' was a critical test for Warner Bros. as the first DCU film Gunn didn't write or direct himself.

Starring Milly Alcock, the film, with an estimated budget in the $170-180 million range, crashed with just a $37.1 million opening weekend — a figure even lower than 2024's target-of-ridicule bomb 'Joker: Folie à Deux,' which opened with $37.6 million. According to a report by THR citing numerous sources, Gunn and Gillespie disagreed creatively over the film's direction, and the production never managed to find its footing during post-production. Test scores, measured out of 100, never crossed the 60s; one source said the highest score achieved was 70. "They weren't creatively aligned — to put it politely," said one close source. Others argue this was simply an ordinary studio-director friction, insisting Gunn and Safran respect Gillespie's filmmaking.

Filming wrapped in May 2025, but by fall 2025, both the studio and Gillespie knew the film wasn't working. When a December test screening came back only "so-so," the studio took the reins and produced its own cut. Jeremy Slater, a favorite writer of Gunn's, was brought in and reportedly wrote scenes for nine days of additional filming. Original screenwriter Ana Nogueira also stayed on through post-production; one of the sticking points was the reshaped final fight scene. Music choices were another major point of friction: at a February screening, the big "needle drop" in the finale was Gunn's preferred Cyndi Lauper cover of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"; it was later swapped for a cover of Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle," which was mocked on social media.

Even as test scores climbed into the low 70s by deep winter, rather than continuing to tinker, the studio opted to produce two competing cuts and force a bakeoff. According to one source, Gillespie's version ran 11 minutes longer and gave more screen time to Matthias Schoenaerts's villain, Krem. When the two versions were tested, scores surprisingly dropped; the studio's cut beat Gillespie's by only two points. Despite that, the studio released its own cut, and the film was never tested again. Peter Safran told The New York Times, "While 'Supergirl' didn't meet our box office expectations, it's just one part of DC Studios' long-term strategy, and we still believe in it." Gunn and Safran will continue steering the ship, with 'Clayface' and Gunn's own 'Man of Tomorrow' (July 9, 2027) still ahead. But the danger flagged by one unnamed studio executive remains: "Gen Z doesn't care about superhero movies. That's a millennial thing."