Milly Alcock’s Supergirl future in the DCU doesn’t live or die by the box office

written by Craig Ellison

June 24, 2026 5:07 pm

Milly Alcock’s Supergirl future in the DCU doesn’t live or die by the box office — Image credit: Google Veo 3

Supergirl hits theaters this weekend with softer-than-hoped tracking, but Milly Alcock’s DCU future isn’t riding on the receipts. Early projections that once hovered north of $55 million have eased to roughly $50–55 million domestic, and the character’s long-term plans stay in place.

Right, let's get into it: 'Supergirl' is finally landing in cinemas this weekend, but if you were expecting a box office bonanza, you might want to lower your expectations.

Box Office Forecast: Not Exactly Stratospheric

Early predictions at the start of the month were reasonably chipper, with some analysts talking about a $55 million domestic opening weekend for 'Supergirl'. Since then, the forecast has only gone south. Now it’s looking more like $50–$55 million, and certain industry trackers (Box Office Pro being one of them) are betting it could be as low as $45 million.

That’s not a great trend. Typically, when those numbers tumble heading towards release day, it’s a sign the studio is bracing for disappointment. Compare that to last summer’s 'Superman', which soared to a $125 million debut in the States alone, and you get a sense of the scale we’re talking about here.

What Actually Matters: Audience Reaction to Milly Alcock

Studios do care about money (shocking, I know). Box office is generally the thing that decides if a film gets a sequel, especially in the big-budget superhero world. But here’s the twist with 'Supergirl': it’s not actually the money that matters most right now — it’s what people think of Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El.

Alcock isn’t just a flash-in-the-pan casting. She’s being set up as a key player in James Gunn’s new DC Universe. At the Brooklyn premiere, executive producer Lars P. Winther let slip that Alcock is already baked into the plans for 'Man of Tomorrow' — that’s the current Superman project filming at the moment.

"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. 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."

Milly Alcock: Not Going Anywhere

Basically, even if 'Supergirl' tanks at the box office, it won’t sink Alcock’s future in the DCU. Her Kara is being lined up as one of the franchise foundations, right there alongside David Corenswet’s Superman. The DC bosses want that Super-family front and centre — three of the first four planned DCU films are built around Superman or Supergirl.

For the studio bosses, the real test is how audiences click with Alcock. If people walk away from 'Supergirl' raving about her, job done. Whether or not she smashes Superman’s epic $618 million global haul is actually beside the point.

Supergirl opens 26 June 2026
Initial tracking: $55+ million weekend
Current projections: $45–55 million weekend
Milly Alcock is confirmed for 'Man of Tomorrow', the next Superman film
First audience reactions to Alcock’s Kara Zor-El: positive
Even if 'Supergirl' doesn’t get a sequel, Alcock is not being written out

Early Reactions: Positive Vibes Only (So Far)

The good news for DC is that the first viewers seem properly impressed with Alcock’s take on Kara. If audiences leave the cinema talking about her, that’s a win in the studio’s book, regardless of what the tills are saying.

'Supergirl' is in cinemas from 26 June 2026.