Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now being discussed as a potential $2 billion-plus box office monster, with some projections putting the final worldwide number around $2.1 billion or higher. If that holds, it is another reminder that audiences still show up when a character feels urgent, crowd-pleasing, and worth the ticket.
That is also why the Supergirl comparison has gotten so brutal.
What happened
The current chatter around Brand New Day is simple: Sony and Marvel may have another massive Spider-Man win on their hands. The Tom Holland version of the character already had momentum, but this one appears to be benefiting from a sharper shift in tone, stronger comic book appeal, and the kind of event energy that gets casual viewers back into theaters.
Meanwhile, Supergirl has been stuck in the opposite conversation.
The film’s box office trouble, weak digital enthusiasm, and looming HBO Max release have all created the sense that Warner Bros. and DC Studios are trying to move past the theatrical and premium digital phases as quickly as possible. That does not mean every viewer hated it. It does mean the public narrative has been ugly.
Now James Gunn is reportedly pushing back against fans who are comparing Spider-Man’s financial success to Supergirl’s failure, arguing that box office numbers do not automatically prove one movie is better than another.
And technically, sure. Money alone does not equal quality.
But that is not the whole issue.
Why it matters
The problem for DC is that box office numbers are not just random scoreboard noise. They tell you whether an audience felt motivated to leave the house, buy a ticket, and tell other people to do the same.
Spider-Man has that.
Supergirl clearly did not.
What makes Gunn’s reported defense sound so weak is the familiar pivot: blame the audience, blame online negativity, blame sexism, blame a “silent majority” that supposedly loved the movie but is too scared to speak up. I have heard this routine too many times now. When a project underperforms, suddenly the real fans are invisible, the critics are all bad-faith, and the numbers are somehow meaningless.
That is convenient.
It also does nothing to fix the actual complaints people had: the script, the casting, the tone, and the sense that DC keeps trying to lecture its audience into caring instead of earning that reaction through the movie itself.
The bigger pattern
Spider-Man is not succeeding because the lead is male. It is succeeding because Spider-Man is still treated like a character with a real audience, real expectations, and real emotional history.
Supergirl had every opportunity to win people over. The character has fans. DC has mythology. Warner Bros. has the resources. But if the movie feels dull, miscast, or built around the wrong priorities, viewers are allowed to reject it.
That is not harassment. That is the market.
The “silent majority” excuse is especially tired. If a giant audience truly loved Supergirl, that enthusiasm would show up somewhere. It would show up in repeat viewing, rentals, word of mouth, or at least visible momentum. Instead, the conversation keeps circling back to why the audience is supposedly wrong for noticing the obvious.
Final take
I do not think Spider-Man’s success automatically makes it a masterpiece. But I do think it makes the Supergirl defense campaign look desperate.
DC Studios needs wins, not excuses. And if Brand New Day really does clear $2 billion while Supergirl limps onto streaming, fans are going to keep making that comparison whether James Gunn likes it or not.
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