Village People Singer Victor Willis Dies at 74

Warner Bros.' revamped DC movie operations faced a significant setback as "Supergirl" failed to impress at the box office, opening a distant second to Pixar's "Toy Story 5." The superhero spinoff garnered only $38 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters and an additional $30 million from overseas markets. In contrast, "Toy Story 5" dominated the weekend, earning $70 million domestically and $89.1 million internationally, bringing its two-week global total to $585 million. "Supergirl," directed by Craig Gillespie, is the second release from DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran. While their first film, "Superman," achieved $618 million worldwide, "Supergirl" struggled with both critics and audiences, receiving poor reviews and a "B-" CinemaScore. The film's $170 million production budget raises concerns about its financial viability. Its opening weekend performance lags behind other recent DC disappointments like "The Flash" and "The Green Lantern," and barely surpasses "Joker: Folie à Deux." David A. Gross, a movie consulting firm executive, observed that superhero movies no longer drive the box office as they did pre-pandemic, with annual genre revenue down significantly. He noted a particular downturn in the performance of female-fronted superhero films, questioning the sudden and complete loss of audience interest. "Supergirl" is the latest in a string of underperforming female-led superhero movies, following a trend that began after initial successes like "Wonder Woman" and "Captain Marvel." The film's studio, Warner Bros. Discovery, is currently navigating a potential acquisition by Paramount Skydance. The next DC release, "Clayface," is slated for October, with Gunn's "Superman" sequel, "Man of Tomorrow," scheduled for July 2027.

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You’ll hear general explanations like ‘the audience lost interest.’ Yes, they did. But no one has been able to explain why it happened so suddenly and so completely. Why female superheroes in particular, after their sensational starts? We don’t understand it either.