Summer 2026 Box Office Recap: The "Obsession" Surprise, and the "Supergirl" and "Masters of the Universe" Flops
Variety's first-half recap is clear: domestic box office is up 10% from 2025, and the summer season is on track to top $4 billion. But "Supergirl" and "Masters of the Universe" are heavy blows for DC and Amazon MGM.
According to Variety's 2026 summer box office recap, the long-touted narrative of post-pandemic movie theaters "returning to normal" is finally backed up by hard numbers. Per Rentrak data, domestic ticket sales are up 10% compared to 2025, and the four-month summer season is expected to cross the $4 billion mark for the first time since 2023's "Barbenheimer" phenomenon.
The good news side. Low-to-mid-budget sleeper hits like "Obsession" and "Backrooms," alongside franchise sequels like "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie," "Toy Story 5," and "The Devil Wears Prada 2," have formed the backbone keeping the season afloat. Big titles still to come include "The Odyssey," "Dune: Part Three," and "Avengers: Doomsday."
The bad news side. Warner Bros.' DC reboot "Supergirl" stumbled with a weak $38 million opening against its $170 million budget; the studio was banking on Milly Alcock, but Gen Z female audiences didn't show up as expected. Amazon MGM's "Masters of the Universe" adaptation and Disney's live-action "Moana" remake are also among the season's most expensive belly flops.
What does it mean? According to Variety, the takeaway is that the superhero genre's era of being "safe money no matter what" is effectively over. As mid-budget original films and proven IP take center stage, risky $200 million-plus superhero bets are becoming an increasingly untenable strategy for studios.