The Supergirl movie may be a box office bomb, but her show is a streaming smash hit
The Supergirl movie has underperformed significantly at the box office, earning only $116 million against a reported $290 million production and marketing budget since its June 24 release. This financial disappointment has reignited industry discussions about “superhero fatigue” in cinema and raised questions about the future direction of the DC Universe.
However, amid the theatrical underperformance, DC is finding substantial success in the streaming space. My Adventures with Superman, an Adult Swim anime series that launched in 2023, has emerged as a streaming hit on HBO Max, ranking in the top 10 shows both domestically and globally this week according to FlixPatrol. The series offers a fresh take by reimagining Superman’s early story through an anime lens. Starring Jack Quaid as Superman, the show features reimagined versions of classic DC villains including Parasite, Brainiac, and Deathstroke.
The stark contrast between Supergirl’s theatrical failure and Superman’s streaming success suggests that audiences retain appetite for DC content, but may prefer different distribution formats and platforms. The anime-inspired approach and streaming-first strategy employed by My Adventures with Superman may provide a viable path forward for the DC Universe, particularly in reaching audiences through streaming platforms rather than relying primarily on traditional theatrical box office returns.