James Gunn’s Supergirl Called A ‘Pricey Risk’: Warner Bros. Nervous?

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A new industry take suggests the studio still has real concerns about Supergirl.

Puck News recently pointed out concerns about James Gunn’s Supergirl movie, noting it was a potential problem for Warner Bros.’ future plans. Now, they’re saying the film is one of the studio’s bigger, more expensive gambles.

It’s not a good look for a superhero film intended to launch James Gunn’s DC Universe, particularly with the recent change in ownership at Warner Bros. Discovery and its acquisition by Paramount Skydance.

Supergirl Is Being Called A “Pricey Risk”

Puck recently mentioned the failure of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s film, The Bride!, which earned only $7 million in the US despite costing around $92 million to make. He brought it up while talking about recent box office disappointments.

Responding to Warner Bros.’ efforts to minimize the recent flop, Puck pointed out that the studio still has several costly movies planned, all of which carry significant risk. Supergirl was specifically mentioned as a particularly risky project.

Puck noted that while Warner Bros. had a good year in 2025, predicting continued success is optimistic considering their expensive and potentially risky upcoming projects in 2026, including ‘Supergirl,’ ‘Digger’ starring Tom Cruise, and J.J. Abrams’s ‘The Great Beyond.’

Puck reports that Warner Bros. appears to view Supergirl as a potentially risky investment, not a guaranteed success. The film isn’t being promoted as a likely blockbuster, and industry insiders seem to anticipate it might not perform well.

Warner Bros Has Reason To Be Nervous

It’s understandable why people are worried. The Supergirl series has already received negative reactions to its trailer, criticism about its overall feel, and doubts about how faithful it will be to the Woman of Tomorrow comic book story.

There’s been a lot of confusing news about the movie, including rumors of changes to the villain, Krem. Many feel it’s relying too much on James Gunn’s signature quirky style, and audiences are starting to show they’ve had enough of the same approach.

Beyond these details, a larger concern remains: James Gunn’s Superman movie didn’t achieve the huge global success Warner Bros. was probably hoping for.

Now, there’s a lot riding on Supergirl. It’s facing extra pressure because other recent superhero movies with female leads, like The Marvels and Madame Web, didn’t perform well at the box office, leading to the unfair assumption that women aren’t interested in the genre.

This movie seems to be following a pattern of controversial, politically-charged storytelling from director James Gunn, and it’s a trend that doesn’t have a great track record. We’ve seen it before with Peacemaker, which lost a significant portion of its viewers in its second season. The trailer for Lanterns is also receiving a lot of criticism, and Warner Bros.’ The Bride! similarly struggled with this same approach.

Marketing Looks Ready To Ramp Up In April

And while things have been quiet lately surrounding the film, that won’t last much longer.

DC has hinted that Supergirl will be the focus of Superman Day this year, with a marketing campaign planned to begin in April. Warner Bros. probably wants to start promoting the movie quickly, especially since James Gunn is expected to begin filming Man of Tomorrow around the same time.

Now that Corenswet is starring in Supergirl, the creators will likely use the production of Man of Tomorrow to advertise both projects, and promote Supergirl with Man of Tomorrow as well.

If excitement for the movie doesn’t build, or if people start reacting badly to it, the studio might end up focusing even more on a project that’s already considered a gamble. It could fail right from the start.

Release Info

The new film Supergirl will premiere on June 26, 2026. Craig Gillespie directed the movie, with a screenplay by Ana Nogueira. The cast includes Milly Alcock, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, and Jason Momoa, who plays Lobo.

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2026-03-10 15:02