The new Supergirl movie is now playing in theaters, and its early Rotten Tomatoes numbers tell two different stories. Critics have given it 58% based on 199 reviews. Audiences, however, are responding more warmly, with a 77% score drawn from over 500 verified ratings.
According to Screen Rant, both numbers are still in motion, with more reviews and audience submissions expected to shift the scores in either direction. The film stars Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El and was directed by Craig Gillespie.
The split between critics and general audiences is not unusual for major superhero releases, but the gap in this case is notable. Critics are divided, while moviegoers appear to be broadly enjoying the film.
The 2026 Supergirl has already cleared the bar set by the 1984 version starring Helen Slater, which holds a 19% critic score and a 26% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. That comparison alone puts the new film in a different league from its predecessor.
It has also outperformed both of Zack Snyder's Superman-era entries. Man of Steel from 2013 sits at 56% from critics and 75% from audiences. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice from 2016 holds 28% from critics and 63% from audiences. The new Supergirl beats both films on the audience side and clears Batman v Superman by a wide margin on the critic side as well.
The DCU's big-screen era began with James Gunn's Superman in 2025. Supergirl is the second theatrical release in that run, and the early data suggests it is landing better with paying audiences than with the press. Whether that gap narrows or widens as the film continues its run remains to be seen.
