DC Studios Seeks to Regain Fans' Confidence
The studio behind the new Supergirl film is working to regain the trust of its audience, according to one of its leading executives.
DC Studios relaunched its cinematic universe with last year's well-received Superman movie, following a period marked by several underperforming films based on the comic company's extensive roster of heroes and villains.
Supergirl, released this week and starring House of Dragon actress Milly Alcock alongside Jason Momoa and British teenager Eve Ridley, is the second major release within the rebooted universe.
Peter Safran, who co-leads DC Studios with director James Gunn, told beat that the new creative direction represents an effort to "get back on track".
The film centers on Kara-Zor-El, portrayed by Alcock, who embarks on a mission to save her dog, Krypto, after he is poisoned, coinciding with her 23rd birthday.
During her quest, she partners with Ruthye Marye Knoll, played by Ridley, and bounty hunter Lobo, portrayed by Jason Momoa.
Directed by Craig Gillespie, the movie presents Supergirl as a hesitant superhero who has faced challenges adapting to life on Earth after escaping her home planet Krypton as a child.
Critical reception has been mixed, with many reviewers praising Alcock's performance but expressing less enthusiasm for the film's action sequences.
The ultimate indicator of the film's success will be fan response, and producer Safran shared with Newsbeat how DC plans to re-engage its audience.
Speaking at the film's London premiere, Safran acknowledged that the studio's output, which includes iconic characters such as Batman, Wonder Woman, and Shazam, has been "uneven".
While some DC films have achieved critical and commercial success, others have failed or, in the case of Batgirl, were cancelled before release.
Fans have also voiced concerns about inconsistent character portrayals.
"I want to rebuild the trust of the audience, which I think DC had lost over the years,"
Safran stated.
He and co-chief Gunn have spearheaded the DC Universe reboot, which Safran describes as an initiative to unify all heroes "under one creative vision."
"We have a big responsibility on our shoulders but we're thrilled with how it's going so far,"
he added.
In addition to Supergirl, the studio plans to release the supervillain horror film Clayface later this year.
Marvel, long considered DC's main competitor, also has two major releases scheduled this year: Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday.
Safran views the rivalry positively.
"That which unites comic book fans is much greater than that which divides us,"
he said.
"So we want Marvel to do great. And obviously James had his start at Marvel. And so we're keeping our fingers crossed that they have a great winter."
Jesse Figueiras Osorio, 20, and her sister Nathalia, 15, attended the premiere to see the stars of Supergirl.
As fans of DC, they agreed that the cinematic universe was in need of a fresh start.
"The characters weren't being portrayed the way that I expected them to,"
Jesse commented.
"James Gunn is doing a really good job of bringing his vision of the characters to life, because he's also just as big as a fan as everyone else is."
Jesse acknowledged that some fans had lost trust in DC but expressed optimism about the studio's future.
"The trust was definitely lost,"
she said.
"The Batman vs Superman films were pretty good, but I felt like it wasn't representative of that DC universe.
This new universe, it's like you're starting to feel the characters warm up."
