As Bradley Charles Cooper once sang, it takes a lot to change your plans, and a train to change your mind. Yes, Chrissi Michael is back to chat about Supergirl and all the fortune and glory it most certainly did not achieve. Alas, with $40 million in North America and $68 million worldwide as of Monday, this wasn’t quite the upbeat episode we were perhaps expecting up until a month or two ago. Much of the conversation centers on the artistic choices this new DC Studios flick did and didn’t make, making it almost irrelevant to current generations of general moviegoers. Yes, it’s still beyond diabolical that Hollywood waited until near the tail-end of the superhero domination era to start diversifying the DC/Marvel line-ups. No, online troll farms (the ones who do it for money and those who do it for sport) didn’t move the needle among anyone who doesn’t live online. However, it’s beyond odd that Supergirl feels less like the next chapter of a new DC cinematic universe than a (comparatively so-so… Aquaman or Wonder Woman this was not) relic of the prior one. Jeremy Fuster is in London but, like Bill Murray in the 2016 Ghostbusters remake, pops by for an extended, momentum-destroying cameo. That’s a joke, although I forgot to answer the weekend’s intro question about the best comic book superhero movie needle drops. For the record, it’s What’s Up Danger” from Into the Spider-Verse, followed by the cut-to-credits smash-cut to “All the Stars” from Black Panther (so much so that I don’t really care for either of that film’s otherwise harmless credit cookies). Jeremy focuses on the macro implications of a shiny new DC box-office flop in the shadow of Skydance’s attempts to buy Warner Bros. and, presumably, make its properties its own. And he does this while standing next to Big Ben**, like the show-off that he is. That said, between Lisa not watching Amazing Digital Circus and Chrissi not yet getting around to Voicemails For Isabelle***, I’m starting to doubt their commitment to The Box Office Podcast. The other subjects of discourse are: -- The challenges in adapting an acclaimed comic story in which Supergirl was not the arc’s primary character -- Too much Lobo, not enough Comet --Why (most of) James Gunn’s MCU/DC song cues work -- Why today’s youth (understandably) doesn’t give a damn about, in the abstract, comic book superhero movies -- The challenges of and opportunities for comedies (romantic or otherwise) in a laugh-starved ecosystem -- Why horror movies are more relevant to the kids than rom-coms, capers, melodramas or almost any other genre --Apparently, I should be watching Off Campus? And more!! ** Speaking of Big Ben, by sheer coincidence, this Thursday marks the 40th anniversary of the very best Walt Disney animated film of the 1980s, The Great Mouse Detective. Sure, The Little Mermaid is fine, but does that Katzenberg-era smash hit feature TWO karaoke-friendly supervillain songs? Why yes, Aaron, I AM a big fan of big movies that climax with a big fight in Big Ben, which ends with the big bad guy suffering from a fatal case of “too much gravity.” *** Between Voicemails for Isabelle, Minions & Monsters and Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass (which… my god, there were spots where — while sitting in a theater watching it solo — I almost fell out of my chair in laughter), Zoey Deutch is having a very not-so-bummer summer. Recommended Reading… Not doing a recommended reading/listening list this week, if only because (as a consequence of posting this episode earlier after having dropped the last one later in the week) there isn’t much “new” from our participants. That said, as always, if you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com. * Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News * Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap * Lisa Laman - Land of the Nerds, Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper and Autostraddle * Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse * Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone * Chrissi Michael - c(ine)m(a) studies And if you are able and willing, please consider donating to a GoFundMe related to a Dallas local trying to raise the necessary funds to escape an abusive and homophobic living situation. — URGENT: Help A Lesbian Find Safe Housing Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe