{"id":483520,"date":"2026-01-01T00:09:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T00:09:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/483520\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T00:09:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T00:09:19","slug":"supergirl-and-clayface-raise-red-flags-for-warner-bros-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/483520\/","title":{"rendered":"Supergirl And Clayface Raise &#8216;Red Flags&#8217; For Warner Bros In 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As Warner Bros. looks ahead to 2026, two DC projects from James Gunn are already being treated as red flags inside the industry: Supergirl and Clayface.<\/p>\n<p>Warner Bros.\u2019 expectations for Supergirl and Clayface appear notably muted, as both DC films made Puck News\u2018 list of red flags for Warner Bros. in 2026, with Supergirl even cited as \u201clower budget\u201d: <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Supergirl\u00a0(June 26)\u2014Lower-budget DC with\u00a0Milly Alcock\u00a0starring.<\/li>\n<li>Clayface\u00a0(September 11)\u2014R-rated DC villain horror movie.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As Matthew Belloni writes in <a href=\"https:\/\/puck.news\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/puck.news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Puck News<\/a>, the studio\u2019s 2026 success won\u2019t be measured by how either DC film performs at the box office:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cWarners\u2019 upcoming year will be defined not by whether Supergirl or Clayface do either $300 million or $500 million, but if Fennell,\u00a0I\u00f1\u00e1rritu\/Cruise,\u00a0Maggie Gyllenhaal, or even\u00a0Denis Villeneuve\u00a0(in a franchise he made cool) can deliver something that breaks through. Or so hope Mike and Pam.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"916\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/supergirl-screenshot-milly-alcock-1500x916.webp.webp\" alt=\"supergirl screenshot milly alcock\" class=\"wp-image-149753\" title=\"supergirl screenshot milly alcock\"   loading=\"lazy\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Warner Bros Doesn\u2019t View Supergirl Or Clayface As Priority Films<\/p>\n<p>Belloni\u2019s framing is telling. Instead of positioning Supergirl or Clayface as major tentpoles, Puck suggests they\u2019re essentially filler \u2014 lower-budget stake bets that won\u2019t define the studio\u2019s year one way or the other. In short, they don\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not how studios talk about movies they believe in.<\/p>\n<p>If Warner Bros. truly thought Supergirl was a breakout hit or a cornerstone of the DCU, it would be central to the 2026 narrative. Instead, it\u2019s treated as background noise.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"844\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/supergirl-ccxp-goofy-james-gunn-dcu.webp.webp\" alt=\"Supergirl CCXP Booth Reveals More Goofy DCU Direction Under James Gunn\" class=\"wp-image-149052\" title=\"supergirl ccxp goofy james gunn dcu\"   fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Supergirl Already Surrounded By Warning Signs<\/p>\n<p>That skepticism lines up with everything else surrounding Supergirl so far, which includes <a href=\"https:\/\/cosmicbook.news\/supergirl-trailer-dislikes-surpass-superman-youtube\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/cosmicbook.news\/supergirl-trailer-dislikes-surpass-superman-youtube\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">heavy backlash to the trailer<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/cosmicbook.news\/supergirl-test-screening-reaction-mixed-feedback\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/cosmicbook.news\/supergirl-test-screening-reaction-mixed-feedback\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">poor test screening chatter<\/a>, weak international interest, <a href=\"https:\/\/cosmicbook.news\/china-not-interested-dcu-supergirl-2026\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/cosmicbook.news\/china-not-interested-dcu-supergirl-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">especially in China<\/a>, and further comparisons to Gunn\u2019s Superman, which underperformed overseas.<\/p>\n<p>Now Puck is essentially confirming what many fans already suspect: Warner Bros. isn\u2019t counting on this movie to move the needle.<\/p>\n<p>Clayface Faces The Same Low-Expectation Problem<\/p>\n<p>Clayface doesn\u2019t fare any better in Puck\u2019s analysis. <\/p>\n<p>Despite being an R-rated DC villain film, it\u2019s lumped into the same category \u2014 not a disaster waiting to happen, but not something Warner Bros. expects to matter financially.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"844\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/zack-snyder-man-steel-vs-james-gunn-superman-man-of-steel.webp.webp\" alt=\"Zack Snyder\u2019s 'Man of Steel' Crushes James Gunn\u2019s 'Superman' in Massive Critical Drinker Poll\" class=\"wp-image-148558\" title=\"zack snyder man steel vs james gunn superman man of steel\"   fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><\/p>\n<p>DCU Movies Are Getting A Pass Because Expectations Are Low<\/p>\n<p>One of the most striking parts of Belloni\u2019s piece is how openly DC is being given a pass. <\/p>\n<p>The bar is so low after recent failures that simply not collapsing is treated as success:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cSo DC is getting a bit of a pass because expectations were so low, and Marvel whiffed worse this year with three films\u2014Captain America: Brave New World,\u00a0Thunderbolts, and\u00a0Fantastic Four: First Steps\u2014that each grossed far less than\u00a0Superman.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>But low expectations don\u2019t fix the core problem: audiences, especially international ones, aren\u2019t responding to Gunn\u2019s DCU the way they did to the SnyderVerse. Puck specifically mentions Snyder\u2019s Man of Steel:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cTheir Superman worked well enough to please fans and enable future DC movies in this universe, but its worldwide gross was less than the $670 million for Man of Steel in 2013 (about $930 million in today\u2019s dollars).\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"844\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/superman-oscars.webp.webp\" alt=\"'Superman' Makes Oscars Shortlist: Best VFX and Sound\" class=\"wp-image-150197\" title=\"superman oscars\"   fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Another DCU Year Without Momentum?<\/p>\n<p>When a major industry voice like Puck News is already downplaying Supergirl and Clayface a year out, it signals something deeper than fan backlash.<\/p>\n<p>It suggests Warner Bros. itself doesn\u2019t believe these films are strong enough to carry the brand \u2014 or the box office.<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s a bad place for the DCU to be heading into 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As Warner Bros. looks ahead to 2026, two DC projects from James Gunn are already being treated as&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":483521,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[57778,171,956,46428,53,218773,54221,9180,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-483520","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-clayface","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-james-gunn","11":"tag-man-of-steel","12":"tag-movies","13":"tag-snyderverse","14":"tag-supergirl","15":"tag-superman","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115816943525170386","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483520","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=483520"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483520\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/483521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=483520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=483520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=483520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}