James Gunn's DC Studios has already scored a win before Supergirl even hits the big screen, and it comes in the form of a popcorn bucket. With the summer 2026 box office season underway, Supergirl is shaping up to be DC's marquee theatrical event of the year, arriving about one year after Superman relaunched the studio's film universe. While Superman made its mark on the big screen, Supergirl is already outshining its predecessor in at least one unique way.
It turns out the centerpiece of Supergirl's theatrical merchandise is a popcorn bucket that comic book fans are going to absolutely lose their minds over.
Jason Momoa is set to be reintroduced to DC audiences as Lobo, trading in his Aquaman trident for the chains and swagger of the Main Man himself, and the bucket capturing his debut is something special.
It features Lobo's iconic space motorcycle, the Spacehog, in stunning detail, with Lobo himself seated on top as a removable figure that reveals the popcorn compartment hidden underneath.
Side-by-side comparisons to the official Supergirl action figure reveal just how much detail was packed into the bucket, with the two looking nearly identical in design.
Also, placing the bucket next to Momoa's live-action Lobo further drives the point home, showing how accurately the motorcycle and DCU character design were translated into popcorn bucket form.
Since Dune: Part Two's sandworm bucket set the internet on fire back in 2024, novelty popcorn buckets have become a pop culture conversation of their own, and this Lobo Spacehog bucket is the best one to come out of Gunn's new DC era by a wide margin.
The standard, newly announced Supergirl tin buckets are exactly what fans would expect; one features a bright yellow design with the title treatment and Milly Alcock's Kara Zor-El in full costume.
A second black-and-white variation does earn some style points for letting the red and yellow symbol pop against the monochrome design, with the text "BE GOOD."
The closest any of the standard Supergirl buckets comes to turning heads is a galaxy-themed design where the chrome purple Supergirl logo feels fresh and different from most of the other merchandise for the film.
Heading back to last summer's Superman, the Daily Planet newspaper-style popcorn container was a genuinely clever keepsake piece that felt more like a prop replica than a snack vessel.
The Superman suit bucket designed to look like Clark Kent's actual costume is the kind of iconic execution that comic fans surely bought last summer.
Krypto made his popcorn debut in a light blue Superman bowl with a Funko-style dog figure peering over the rim, which was admittedly adorable.
The standout of the Superman era, and arguably the closest any DC bucket has come to rivaling the Lobo Spacehog, is the miniature popcorn machine vessel, complete with a Superman figure using heat vision to pop the corn.
A larger, more detailed Krypto sculpture holding a classic red-and-white-striped popcorn box brought serious charm to the concession stand in July 2025.
The superdog also inspired a more subtle dog bowl-shaped vessel, which was cute, but clearly didn't hold much of the buttery snack.
One bucket put David Corenswet's Superman front and center in a straightforward photo-realistic design, but unfortunately isn't very inspiring, ranking last of the Superman buckets from last year.
Finally, an illustrated Superman and Krypto bucket rendered in a comic-inspired style that still fits within Gunn's DCU aesthetic rounds out the collection nicely.
Heading towards its June 26 release in theaters, only time will tell how many more Supergirl buckets are unveiled. At this point, the Superman Heat Vision vessel and Lobo's Spacehog are probably the best of the DCU.
Considering Krypto's huge role in the movie, as he is Kara's dog, it's safe to assume even more dog-styled buckets are coming soon when Supergirl hits theaters.
Directed by Craig Gillespie, Allcock and Momoa are joined by Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, and David Corenswet, who fans just got their best look at yet in his second DCU appearance.
Supergirl follows Kara as she reluctantly teams up with a young warrior, Ruthye, to track down a space pirate named Krem, who killed Ruthye's father and left Superman's dog Krypto poisoned and near death. The film is heavily inspired by the acclaimed graphic novel Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, expanding on its story with the addition of Lobo.
Will Supergirl's Marketing Sell Tickets?
Whether Supergirl can capitalize on all this pre-release buzz and translate it into box office success is the real question hanging over DC Studios this summer.
Marketing has been ramping up steadily, and items like the Lobo popcorn bucket certainly help keep the film in the cultural conversation, but Supergirl is dropping into one of the most competitive stretches of the summer movie calendar.
There's also a nagging concern among some fans that the film's colorful, ragtag space adventure aesthetic skews a little too close to Guardians of the Galaxy territory, which could be a tough perception to shake.
The fact that the film has reportedly gone through numerous test screenings and multiple cuts suggests the road to the final product hasn't been entirely smooth.
Current tracking puts Supergirl's domestic opening somewhere in the $45-65 million range, with $200 million domestically looking like a realistic ceiling, a significant step down from Superman, which opened to $125 million last summer and finished with $354.2 million domestically.
If audiences walked away from Superman hungry for more of Gunn's DCU, Supergirl has a real shot. If not, DC's marquee summer release could find itself in a tough spot, with the lower-stakes Clayface waiting in the wings as the studio's safer bet for the year.
