Milly Alcock stars as Kara Zor-El. She plays a younger, rougher cousin of Superman. She drinks, she parties on red sun planets, and she avoids settling down. That edge sets her apart from Clark Kent. It also sets the tone for the whole film.
A birthday trip turns into a revenge hunt
The film adapts Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the comic by Tom King and Bilquis Evely. Craig Gillespie directs. Ana Nogueira writes the script. Kara is marking her 23rd birthday when she meets Ruthye Marye Knoll, played by Eve Ridley.
Ruthye wants revenge. Krem of the Yellow Hills, played by Matthias Schoenaerts, killed her family. He leads a bandit group called the Brigands. Kara first says no. Then Krem shoots her dog Krypto with a poison dart. Kara learns Krypto has only days to live unless she gets the antidote from Krem. So she takes the hunt, and Ruthye comes with her.
That setup gives the film a clear drive. It is a road story across strange planets. It is also a story about grief. Kara lost her home world. Ruthye lost her family. Both carry that loss in different ways. Their bond holds the film together, even when the action gets wild.
The cast around Alcock
David Krumholtz plays Zor-El, Kara's father. Emily Beecham plays Alura, her mother. Their scenes give Kara's past weight. You see a family that tried to save a city on Krypton, then lost almost everything.
David Corenswet returns as Superman. He checks in on his cousin from Earth. His scenes are short, but they matter. They show how different these two cousins are. Clark grew up loved on Earth. Kara grew up watching her world die.
Jason Momoa plays Lobo, the bounty hunter. Momoa once played Aquaman in the old DC films. Here he gets a fresh start as a loud, rough alien hunter. His scenes add humor and danger in equal measure. Fans had waited years to see him as Lobo, and the film finally delivers that casting.
The cinema numbers were hard to ignore
Supergirl cost $170-186 million to make. It earned $126.4 million worldwide in theaters. By any normal math, that is a loss in cinemas. Reports called it the first big DC Studios bomb under James Gunn and Peter Safran. Critics gave it mixed reviews. Some praised Alcock. Others found the story uneven.
That result stung because Supergirl was only the second film in the new DC Universe, after Superman in 2025. A second film is meant to build trust. This one tested it. Fans asked if DC had picked the right tone, the right story, and the right release slot for Kara.
You should keep that context in mind, but you should not stop there. Box office is one part of a film's life now. Streaming is the other part, and Supergirl did far better there.
HBO Max gave Kara a second chance
Supergirl started streaming on HBO Max on September 10, 2026. That was about 11 weeks after its cinema debut. HBO also aired it on its linear channel on September 12 at 8 p.m. ET.
Within a month, the film sat at No. 1 on HBO Max worldwide, based on FlixPatrol data reported in October 2026. That is a sharp turn. People who skipped it in cinemas pressed play at home. Some watched it twice. Word of mouth at home beat word of mouth in theaters.
What this means for the DC Universe
DC Studios has not treated Supergirl as a dead end. Reports say Alcock will return as Kara in Man of Tomorrow, dated July 9, 2027. That film continues the Superman story. Kara's return there would keep her in the main DC story, even after a weak cinema run.
That plan makes sense. Alcock earned praise even from critics who disliked parts of the film. Her Kara feels distinct. She is funny, sad, and stubborn. She does not copy Superman. She argues with him. That friction is useful for DC. It gives the new universe a second voice with its own edge.
Hollywood often judges a film in its first weekend. Supergirl shows why that view is too narrow now. A film can fail in cinemas and still find its crowd. The crowd just found Kara later, on a smaller screen, at home.
Should you watch it now
If you like space adventure with a sharp lead, yes. Watch for Alcock and Ridley first. Their scenes carry the film. Watch for Momoa's Lobo second. He steals scenes with ease. Watch for Krypto third. The dog gives Kara a soft side that her jokes hide.
If you want a clean, classic hero story, this may test your patience. Kara makes bad choices. She drinks too much. She runs from hard talks. That is the point of this version, but it will not suit every viewer.
The film is streaming now, so the risk is low. You can judge Kara for yourself, without a cinema ticket on the line. That is how most of her new fans found her, and that may be how DC keeps her going.
Unconfirmed or reported, not stated as confirmed fact: the July 9, 2027 return date for Alcock and the exact streaming chart positions are reported figures from trade and chart trackers, not a single full studio statement, and future DC plans can still change.
Sources and reporting
- Collider — June 24, 2026 · Verifies the June 26, 2026 date, 108 minute runtime, Gillespie and Nogueira credits, and the Ruthye revenge plot.
- ComingSoon — 2026 · Verifies the September 10, 2026 HBO Max debut, the September 12 linear airing, and the reported Man of Tomorrow return.
- CBR — October 9, 2026 · Verifies the $126.4 million box office, the HBO Max No. 1 run about a month after streaming debut, and the cast list.
