Supergirl soars to a 75% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes — but fans are split on James Gunn’s DCU

Critics and audiences are not on the same page this year, and now Supergirl is the latest title caught in the crossfire. The critics score landed with a thud and kicked up fresh hand-wringing about James Gunn 's DCU. Then verified moviegoers jumped in on Rotten Tomatoes and sent the audience number up, which has people right back to arguing over whether everyone's even watching the same movie.

The score that lit the fuse

With 500+ verified audience ratings, Supergirl launched on Rotten Tomatoes at 75% on the Popcorn meter, noticeably higher than its 59% critics score. That gap became the conversation. Fans say reviewers largely agreed that Milly Alcock is a standout as Kara Zor-El, but they were too tough on the script, pacing, and VFX. Others will tell you 75% isn't exactly a mic drop for a superhero movie, but in the context of a wobbly new DCU, it feels like a statement from people who actually bought tickets.

'With 500+ reviews, the Rotten Tomatoes audience score for 'Supergirl' debuts at a 75%'

Of course, not everyone is spiking the football. Some fans are calling the audience score solid but short of great for a major DC release and say the real test is what the global box office does over the next couple weeks.

Why this one matters more than most

Supergirl is the second official chapter in James Gunn's rebooted DC Universe and a live-action take on Tom King's acclaimed comic 'Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.' Translation: every data point (scores, legs, word-of-mouth) gets magnified because it signals where the new DCU might be headed. The early critical chill sparked new alarm bells about the franchise; the audience pushback is now complicating that narrative.

The need-to-know

• Rotten Tomatoes: 75% audience score (500+ verified ratings) vs. 59% critics score
• Release: In theaters only starting Friday, June 26, 2026
• Director: Craig Gillespie
• DCU placement: Second official chapter in James Gunn's new continuity
• Source material: Tom King's 'Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow'
• Cast: Milly Alcock (Kara Zor-El), Eve Ridley (Ruthye), Matthias Schoenaerts (Krem), Jason Momoa ( Lobo), David Corenswet (Superman, returning)
• Trailer: Final trailer dropped June 3, 2026; tickets are on sale
• Context: Kara already had a solo movie back in 1984, spun off from Christopher Reeve's Superman films

What the movie's actually about

This version of Kara grows up on a doomed shard of Krypton, which is exactly as bleak as it sounds, and it hardens her into someone who is not here to make friends. She crosses paths with Ruthye and sets off after the ruthless Krem after Krypto the Superdog is left clinging to life. If you have heard people tossing around 'space western ' and even some 'Mad Max' comparisons, that's from the tone and scope of the comic they're adapting, and it's bled into the conversation around the film too.

The chatter around Alcock, the tone, and the takes

Milly Alcock is getting the bulk of the praise. There has also been a swirl of pre-release noise: Alcock joking that her Supergirl is 'objectively' stronger than Superman made the rounds, some early hot takes branded the film a 'superhorrendous' disaster, and the harsher reviews zeroed in on the screenplay and pacing while giving the lead her flowers. Meanwhile, fan support is rallying around Kara specifically, with a chunk of social media turning its attention to what critics did or didn't get about the movie.

Bottom line

The numbers aren't earth-shattering, but they are loud enough to keep the debate going: critics at 59%, audiences at 75%, and a DCU installment where every wobble or win gets put under a microscope. If you want to pick a side, you know where to find it: in theaters now.

You in for Milly Alcock's first flight as Kara Zor-El, or waiting to see what the box office says? Drop your take below.