Supergirl finally soars into theaters this weekend, and the box office projections aren’t promising. However, Milly Alcock‘s DC Universe future doesn’t hinge upon ticket sales.
At the beginning of the month, Supergirl’s tracking suggested an opening weekend of more than $55 million domestic. That figure has since decreased to an opening between $50 and $55 million. Some box office prediction sites, such as Box Office Pro, see Supergirl possibly falling to $45 million.
It’s never a good sign to see tracking decrease in the lead-up to the release, that usually means a film will underperform. Either way, Supergirl’s opening will be substantially less than Superman’s $125 million opening last summer.
Why Supergirl’s audience reception is more important than ticket sales
Box office results matter to studios. It’s one of the most important factors in determining if a movie receives a sequel. In Supergirl’s case, audience reception of Alcock is more important than financial success.
Supergirl is one of the integral characters in the new DCU. At the Supergirl premiere in Brooklyn, executive producer Lars P. Winther teased Alcock’s “big” part in Man of Tomorrow.
“Man of Tomorrow, which is what we’re shooting now, [Alcock] is in that movie. Without giving too much away, this movie ends a particular way, and you see where she’s going to end up. She’s done her wild ways, and now she’s going to try to get back in with her cousin and be more on Earth again,” Winther said (via The Hollywood Reporter). “That’s where she is in Man of Tomorrow. It’s all more Earth-based. So we have Man of Tomorrow, and we already know what the next movie’s going to be after that, and she’s a big part of that.”
James Gunn clearly wants to build out the Superman family — three of the first four DCU movies feature Superman or Supergirl. Alcock is being positioned as one of the pillars of the DCU alongside David Corenswet. How audiences react to Alcock’s performance is more important to the DCU’s future than whether Supergirl matches Superman’s $618 million theatrical haul. Even if Supergirl doesn’t get a sequel, Alcock will still have a significant DCU role in Man of Tomorrow, so she’s not going anywhere for the foreseeable future.
So far, the first reactions to Alcock’s portrayal of Kara Zor-El have been positive. If Alcock’s successful turn is the biggest takeaway from Supergirl, then the movie did its primary job — create a new hero for the DCU.
Supergirl opens in theaters on June 26, 2026.
Originally reported by Dan Girolamo for SuperHeroHype.
