New data out of China suggests James Gunn’s DCU Supergirl movie has little to no traction with one of the world’s most important box office markets.
And yes, just because Gunn didn’t technically “direct” Supergirl doesn’t mean it isn’t his movie. The film is a clear carbon copy of Gunn’s one-trick-pony Guardians formula. Craig Gillespie wouldn’t have landed the job without signing off on Gunn’s goofy DCU tone. That’s also why, from what I’m told, projects like Swamp Thing and Sgt. Rock never moved forward.
Back to the Middle Kingdom, a newly released list ranking China’s most anticipated foreign films of 2026 does not include Supergirl at all.
The list is led by Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday, which ranked as China’s most anticipated foreign movie of the year.
Supergirl Missing From China’s 2026 Anticipation List
The ranking, sourced from Douban, China’s largest movie and TV tracking platform, highlights what Chinese audiences are actually excited to see in 2026.
Supergirl didn’t make the cut.
That’s a major red flag, especially considering DC’s long-standing reliance on overseas markets to offset weak domestic performances.
China Has Always Favored The SnyderVerse
This lines up with what I’ve been saying via my insiders: Chinese audiences overwhelmingly favor the SnyderVerse, not the James Gunn version of DC.
Films like Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, Justice League, and Aquaman performed strongly in China, often outpacing domestic interest.
Zack Snyder’s darker tone, mythic visuals, and serious approach resonated far more overseas than Gunn’s lighter, joke-heavy style full of messaging.
Gunn’s Superman Already Struggled Overseas
The warning signs are already here.
Foreign audiences didn’t show up for Gunn’s Superman. Interest outside the U.S. was soft, and now Supergirl appears to be facing the same problem — likely worse.
If China isn’t interested before marketing even ramps up, it suggests the film has no international momentum.
I told you how I’ve spoken with foreign fans and immigrant friends, and their reactions were consistent: they felt Gunn’s Superman mocked Asian characters, pushed unwanted American political commentary, and lost the mythic, apolitical appeal that made Snyder’s films resonate worldwide. By contrast, Snyder’s Man of Steel was seen as a hopeful immigrant story with larger-than-life heroes, which is why it connected across borders, especially in China and other foreign countries. Meanwhile, Gunn’s DCU comes off as pushing a bleak message — that immigrants come from broken families and are better off abandoning them to form new ones instead.
Gunn’s Superman severely underperformed overseas compared to the SnyderVerse films, pulling in just $262.5M internationally and a weak $8.9M from China.
By comparison, Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Justice League each delivered hundreds of millions more internationally, with China alone contributing $63M–$106M, underscoring how much stronger Snyder’s DC resonated with global audiences.
Supergirl Shaping Up As Another DCU Flop
Between the trailer backlash, poor test screening reports, and now a complete lack of interest from China, Supergirl looks increasingly like a major bust.
It’s also another female superhero movie – all of which flopped – except for Zack Snyder’s first Wonder Woman (Captain Marvel was only a success because of being sandwiched between Infinity War and Endgame, as evident by the failure of The Marvels).
The studio needs international audiences to survive, and right now, they don’t have them. Without China — and without the SnyderVerse fanbase that once carried DC overseas — Supergirl is staring straight down the barrel of the same box-office failure as Gunn’s Superman.
