Supergirl’s Debunked Budget Report Is A Sigh Of Relief For The DC Universe

Supergirl’s Debunked Budget Report Is A Sigh Of Relief For The DC Universe Supergirl looking surprised in Superman By  Cooper Hood Published 14 minutes ago Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release. He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

As the second movie in the DC Universe, there's a lot of discussion about how Supergirl will do when it releases in theaters next year. After Milly Alcock's Kara Zor-El popped up for a cameo in Superman's ending, interest in her solo movie has kept increasing, which is just what DC Studios wants.

It's far too early to truly prognosticate about how Supergirl will do at the box office, but that didn't stop reports about how much it cost to start circulating online. The report noted that DC Studios spent $200 million making the film. However, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn debunked Supergirl's budget rumor, firmly saying that it is "not even a little bit true."

While the creative driving force behind the franchise stopped short of revealing how much Supergirl actually cost to make, his response indicates that the real answer is significantly lower than $200 million. That likelihood is a great early sign for the DC Universe to keep riding the wave of positivity from Superman's box office success.

Supergirl's Budget Positions The DC Universe For More Success

Milly Alcock as Supergirl in Superman

Keeping the budget under $200 million is smart for DC Studios. Superman had a net cost of $225 million, so it would have been risky to give his lesser-known cousin a similarly high budget. She may have headlined a popular TV show on The CW for years, but Supergirl is not the known commodity that Superman is on the big screen.

Rather than treat them as equals, DC Studios appears to have made the wise decision to keep costs on Alcock's solo film a bit lower. Still, the cost can't be that low, either. Supergirl, Lobo, Krypto, and others are among the confirmed characters involved, and there is a size and scale inherent to this project that requires a good amount of spending.

Supergirl may have a budget closer to Gunn's original Guardians of the Galaxy ($170M) or possibly even lower. A budget that is somewhere around $150 million would give the production more than enough resources to look and feel like a summer blockbuster, all while putting it in a great position for box office success.

There is a general understanding that a movie needs to make 2.5 times its budget to be a success in theaters (without factoring in VOD sales, merchandise, and other revenue streams). If we put Supergirl's cost on the "higher" side of its likely range, say at $170 million, it may only need to make $425 million to be a box office success.

In other words, Supergirl could make about 30% less than Superman at the box office and still be considered a win for DC Studios. If the budget is closer to $150M, the DC Universe's second movie could get away with making 40% less than its debut release without worrying about losing money.

Clearly, Gunn is being quite frugal when it comes to budgeting out the DC Studios productions (Clayface reportedly only costs $40 million). While some of that could be tied to the reasons behind Warner Bros. being up for sale, its also just smart business. The DC Universe is increasing its chances of delivering hits without the pressure of each movie making $800M - or $1 billion - by keeping costs down on films like Supergirl.

Supergirl

Like Follow Followed Not Yet Rated Superhero Sci-Fi Release Date June 26, 2026 Director Craig Gillespie Writers Ana Nogueira, Otto Binder, Tom King, Al Plastino Franchise(s) DC Universe

Cast

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• Milly Alcock Kara Zor-El / Supergirl
• Matthias Schoenaerts Krem of the Yellow Hills
• Eve Ridley Ruthye Mary Knolle
• Jason Momoa Lobo

Genres Superhero, Sci-Fi Powered by Expand Collapse

• Supergirl
• DC Extended Universe

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