‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow’ Presale Numbers Are In, and the DCU Has Reason to Both Worry and Hope

The DCU’s second theatrical chapter is officially on the clock. With advance tickets now on sale for ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow’, the box office conversation around Milly Alcock’s Kara Zor-El has shifted from speculation to something more concrete, and the picture being painted is equal parts promising and cautionary.

Directed by Craig Gillespie and adapted from the Tom King and Bilquis Evely graphic novel, ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow’ opens June 26, with trailers already generating significant online traction, including 27 million YouTube views for the official trailer and 24 million for the earlier teaser. The film follows the Girl of Steel on a cosmic journey hunting an intergalactic criminal, with Alcock reprising her ‘Superman’ cameo role as Kara Zor-El.

Notably, tickets only went on sale roughly three weeks before opening, which is considered late for a major superhero release. Industry observers point out that big studio films often put tickets on sale a month or more in advance to build perceived demand through early sellouts and premium-format momentum. That shorter runway has added an extra layer of scrutiny to every early data point coming out of the presale trackers.

The presale comparisons being circulated paint a revealing picture for where ‘Supergirl‘ currently stands. Early tracker data places the film at 65% of ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ first six hours of sales, which translated to a $117.6 million opening weekend.

It sits at 92% of ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’, which opened to $106.1 million, at 70% of ‘Captain America 4’s first-day pace with its $88.8 million debut, and at 80% of ‘Thunderbolts’ first-day pace that led to a $74.3 million opening. Most pointedly, it currently sits at just 54% of ‘Superman’s own first-day presale pace, the film that debuted to a $125 million domestic opening last summer.

That ‘Superman’ figure is a significant benchmark. James Gunn’s DCU opener pulled in $624 million worldwide, giving DC Studios what it needed to push forward with its expanding slate. Early tracking from Box Office Theory currently forecasts ‘Supergirl’ opening between $47 million and $65 million domestically, a range that would place it somewhere between ‘The Marvels’ and ‘Black Adam’ at the box office.

The production cost adds further pressure. According to Deadline, ‘Supergirl’ cost approximately $175 million net before global marketing spend, with breakeven estimated at $315 million globally. The film also opens into a packed summer corridor, arriving one week after ‘Toy Story 5’, with ‘Minions and Monsters’ following shortly after and Disney’s live-action ‘Moana’ landing two weeks later.

Tonal curiosity could still work in the film’s favor. ‘Supergirl’ is described as darker and more character-driven than typical superhero fare, with a space western feel, and Jason Momoa’s turn as Lobo has reportedly tested well with audiences. The final trailer also leans into action and new alien landscapes, with a David Corenswet Superman cameo showing Kara receiving her first costume, a moment that is expected to resonate emotionally with fans of the new DCU.

Presale comparisons are volatile, and plenty of films have defied their early tracking in both directions. Whether ‘Supergirl’ closes that gap with ‘Superman’ or settles into the mid-tier range the data currently suggests will define how confidently DC Studios enters the back half of its Gods and Monsters slate. Are you feeling cautiously optimistic about Kara Zor-El’s box office flight, or do you think the presale numbers tell a story that is hard to shake?