In a significant setback for Warner Bros.' revamped DC movie operations, "Supergirl" has underperformed at the box office, coming in a distant second to Pixar's blockbuster "Toy Story 5." Despite the high expectations, the superhero spinoff garnered only $38 million in domestic openings in U.S. and Canadian theaters, alongside an additional $30 million from international markets.

Conversely, "Toy Story 5" continued its strong performance, raking in $70 million domestically and $89.1 million overseas. This Disney release quickly amassed a global total of $585 million in just two weeks, solidifying its status as one of the year's biggest hits.

Directed by Craig Gillespie, "Supergirl" marks the second feature released under the guidance of James Gunn and Peter Safran, who took the helm of DC Studios in late 2022. Their first project, which is scheduled for release in 2025, "Superman", managed to earn $618 million globally. However, "Supergirl" has not fared as well, facing criticism from both audiences and critics alike. The film received a mere 56% 'fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 'B-' CinemaScore from viewers.

The disappointing box office figures for "Supergirl" have prompted comparisons to other unsuccessful DC releases, such as "The Flash" (which brought in $55 million in 2023) and "The Green Lantern" ($53 million in 2011). Furthermore, "Joker: Folie à Deux" is also close to Supergirl's figures with $37.7 million in 2024, highlighting a troubling trend for DC films overall.

Industry analyst David A. Gross noted that superhero films have not been driving box office revenues as they did prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of annual superhero releases has decreased, and Gross estimated that the total box office for the genre has diminished by approximately $3.5 billion each year from its peak between 2017 and 2019. Interestingly, female-fronted superhero movies, once lauded for their success, have seen a decline, and the reasons behind this sudden shift remain unclear.

The financial woes of "Supergirl", which had a production budget of $170 million, come at a time when Warner Bros. Discovery, the studio's parent company, is preparing for acquisition by Paramount Skydance. Recently, David Ellison, the chief executive of Paramount, had discussions with Gunn and Safran regarding their future projects.

The next DC release slated for October is "Clayface," a body horror interpretation of the DC character, while Gunn’s follow-up to "Superman," titled "Man of Tomorrow," is currently in production, set to release in July 2027.

As for the broader box office landscape, another new release this weekend was "Jackass: Best and Last," which earned $8.4 million from 2,855 theaters. This opening is modest compared to its predecessor, "Jackass Forever," which debuted with $23 million in 2022.

Additionally, Olivia Wilde’s comedy "The Invite" had a respectable per-screen average during its limited release, opening on seven screens with a total of $379,104. Meanwhile, the micro-budget horror film "Obsession" enjoyed sustained success, grossing $9.8 million in its seventh weekend, bringing its total to over $233.9 million domestically, while Spielberg's "Disclosure Day" slipped to fifth place with $8.1 million in its third weekend, totaling $193.7 million globally.

As for the current top 10 movies at the U.S. box office, they are:

1. "Toy Story 5," $70 million.
2. "Supergirl," $38 million.
3. "Obsession," $9.8 million.
4. "Jackass: Best and Last," $8.4 million.
5. "Disclosure Day," $8.1 million.
6. "Backrooms," $4.3 million.
7. "Scary Movie," $3 million.
8. "Masters of the Universe," $2.2 million.
9. "Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity," $2 million.
10. "Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu," $1.6 million.