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Test scores usually go up and down. But this March, I recorded the results Supergirl It actually went down when DC Studios held a bake-off, testing competing cuts from director Craig Gillespie and from the studio run by James Gunn and Peter Safran.
It was a moment of extreme disappointment for the participants, as the stakes were high, especially for the capital. Supergirl It will serve as a major test for the Warner Bros. division. As his first film was not written and directed by Gunn, after opening last year, Superman.
He needed work to prove that the studio could expand beyond projects directed by Gunn, the first-rate filmmaker behind the Guardians of the Galaxy films, Peacemaker and Suicide Squad – And the audience too Brand face.
Months later, Supergirl The result is now known. The film, starring Millie Alcock as the title character and with a budget in the $180 million range, crashed and burned in its opening weekend, grossing just $37.1 million, which is even less than the DC-based cursed bomb, 2024. Joker: Foley A bilateralwhich opened to $37.6 million and was not made by Gunn and Safran.
Although one failure need not be an indictment, and there have been many ideas as to why the film failed, was Alcock right for the role? Was Gillespie right in making the decision? Are audiences tired of superheroes? Was opening the film in late June a mistake? Was the budget too high? — Fate Supergirl It was probably planted early.
Multiple sources say that Gunn and Gillespie had creative differences over the direction of the film Hollywood Reporterand the film never found its footing in the post-production process. Test scores, which are calculated on a 100-point scale, never exceeded the 60s, according to several insiders. Another insider said the film’s highest score was 70.
“‘It wasn’t compatible creatively’ is the polite way to put things,” an insider said.
Other insiders dispute that characterization, saying Gunn, Safran and Gillespie had the normal amount of healthy friction that any filmmaker and studio have as part of the process of making a better film. Multiple sources say the duo respects Gillespie’s filmmaking skills, known for guiding Margot Robbie to an Oscar nomination for her film. I’m Tonya.
Filming was completed in May 2025, and early in the fall of that year, the studio and Gillespie knew the film was not a success. After the December demo proved to be okay, the studio decided to take matters into its own hands and took charge of post-production to do its own cut. The studio has also enlisted writer Jeremy Slater, a Gunn favorite who previously wrote an unmade feature based on DC superhero team The Authority, to help with the post-production process.
The extent of Slater’s involvement is unclear, although he appears to have helped write scenes for an additional nine-day shoot. Original screenwriter Ana Nogueira remained involved in the post-production process as well. One of the issues at hand was the climate battle, which has been reshaped.
There are other issues with the film that are not clear, but it is known that the music was a major point of contention. From the beginning Guardians Galaxy In the film, Gunn established himself as a master of the movie soundtrack and dropping the all-important needle, earning praise for finding the right song and dropping it at the right time. Gillespie also has a reputation for integrating music with films, as seen in Cruellahis 2021 film that portrayed Disney villain Cruella De Vil as a punk rock rebel in the London fashion scene.
The film underwent at least four test screenings, according to sources, with screenings taking place in December 2025 as well as February and March of this year. While social media users and critics delved into the film’s use of a cover of Jimmy Eat World’s song “The Middle,” the big drop in the final scene at the February screening was a cover version of Cyndi Lauper’s song “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” This song choice came from Gunn, but was eventually abandoned for a Jimmy Eat World cover.
The film used editors. There was Tatiana S. Riegel, Gillespie’s longtime partner who edited his book Lars W Real girl, I’m Tonyaand Cruella. And there was Fred Raskin, the long-time Gunn cutter who worked on everything Guardians of the Galaxy Movies and Gunn’s DC series Peacemaker. (Raskin is also Quentin Tarantino’s favorite editor.) He was brought in later in the process and proved a key tool in the studio’s slowly heavy hand.
There were signs that things were improving. In the depths of winter, test scores improved and reached lows in the 70s. However, rather than continue to edit this cut, the studio decided to force the baking process by creating two cuts, one by Gillespie and one by the studio.
It’s not clear what major differences emerged, but one source says Gillespie’s version was 11 minutes longer and featured more of the villain Karim, played by Matthias Schoenaerts. When the two competing versions were tested, the scores surprisingly dropped significantly, though the studio slowly pulled ahead of Gillespie… but only by two points, according to sources. Gillespie’s version scored strong in song choices, rhythm and punk. To score a win, even a mediocre one, the studio chose his story to be the one to play in theaters. A studio insider says the differences weren’t particularly pronounced.
Studio insiders portray the rewind and rewind process as routine, but others, including one film director who spoke anonymously about this story but was not involved in Supergirlhad the opposite point of view.
“This happens more than you think, but it’s not normal,” the film director said. “If a studio is going to invest money in the testing process, it means they feel strongly about certain things.”
The film was never tested again. (For comparison, it has been cancelled Batgirl And a box office disappointment Shazam! The anger of Gods Tested in the 1960s, like most people Supergirltests.). From that point on, if Gillespie strongly believed something should be in the movie, he had to stand up for it, one source said.
“while Supergirl “It did not meet our expectations at the box office, and it is just one element of a broader, long-term strategy at DC Studios in which we remain confident.” New York Timeson the rare occasion that a studio head commented on a bombshell on its opening weekend.
In many respects, the strategy remains sound. Despite the setback, Gunn and Safran will continue to steer the ship. It’s not clear when the duo’s contracts will expire, but sources believe it’s either the end of 2026 or the end of 2027. By then, DC Studios will have released not only Clayfacea modest-budget horror film centered around the villainous Batman, but also… Man of tomorrowwhich is currently managed by Gunn and is scheduled to open on July 9, 2027. Batman: Part Twofrom Matt Reeves, is also in production and has an October 1, 2027 date, but is separate from the DCU.
Gunn will continue to exercise his ideas, especially his tendency to highlight lesser-known side characters. A Superman A spinoff focusing on Jimmy Olsen, played by scene-stealing Skylar Gisondo, gets a comedic shot with a mockumentary series. Capital crime Which will shoot this fall.
There is also a series focusing on Mr. Terrific, who he plays Superman Hack Edi Gathegi, which is under active development with Alan Heinberg (Hypnotic) Writing the pilot.
but SupergirlGunn’s failure shines a spotlight on Gunn, who has positioned himself as the face of the company like no other studio head has ever done before, thanks to his impressive output on social media and comments in the press about quality control.
Other studio heads, such as Marvel’s Kevin Feige or Warners’ Pam Abdy, are known to be heavily involved in the post-production process. But no filmmaker makes their own films while also managing or co-managing a major studio division. There is almost no modern precedent (Steven Spielberg runs Amblin, a production company rather than a studio arm. Rob Reiner was a partner in Castle Rock, a large-scale entity that was run by Alan Horn. More recently, Frozen Director Jennifer Lee ran Walt Disney Animation Studios until 2024 before stepping back to refocus on directing.)
The challenge for Gunn, and by extension DC Studios, is to walk the fine line of being a friend to filmmakers while also trusting his strong artistic point of view that has guided him throughout his career.
However, DC Studios faces other challenges that loom even larger SupergirlBrainiac’s failure or villainy. There are concerns about David Ellison’s Paramount acquisition of Warner.
Perhaps the biggest challenge for Gunn and Safran will be guiding a superhero studio because superhero movies are no longer a bulletproof genre for moviegoers.
“Generation Z doesn’t care about superhero movies,” one studio head noted. “This type belongs to the millennial generation.”
