Supergirl and Clayface Raising Industry Red Flags for Warner Brothers and James Gunn’s DCU

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Experts aren’t optimistic about the prospects for the Supergirl and Clayface movies. According to Matt Belloni at Puck News, these DC films are now considered potential problem areas for Warner Bros. in 2026. Once expected to be major hits, they’re now grouped with projects that carry significant financial or strategic risks. The concern isn’t necessarily the quality of the films themselves, but rather their chances of success given the current movie market and competition.

While Belloni’s assessments are subtle, they could signal a major shift in strategy at Warner Bros.

Sinners Was a Winner — Superman Struggled

As a movie lover, I have to say Warner Bros. had an incredible streak last year. Even though Superman didn’t quite land, and One Battle After Another is expected to be an Oscar contender despite not being a blockbuster, so many other films really surprised everyone with their success. According to sources, Sinners and Weapons were huge wins for the studio, and those, combined with good timing and support for their other releases, made for a fantastic six months for them.

Belloni admits Superman was successful enough to satisfy audiences and pave the way for more DC films, but his praise wasn’t overwhelming. He explained he was somewhat lenient in his assessment, noting that expectations were already low and Marvel had recently released a similarly disappointing film.

The way Superman did at the box office – especially its weaker performance internationally – is causing some concern about the upcoming Supergirl movie.

A Blunt Assessment of Supergirl

Belloni offers detailed explanations for most of the films he identifies as potential problems, but he describes Supergirl very simply as “a lower-budget DC film starring Milly Alcock.” This straightforward description likely reflects that many viewers have already formed an opinion about the movie.

The first trailer for the film, released in December, didn’t generate excitement – it actually received a lot of criticism. Within a week of being posted on YouTube, it was viewed 21 million times, but only received 373,828 likes compared to over 43,000 dislikes. Additionally, anticipation for the film is low in China, where it didn’t even rank among the top 10 most anticipated movies on the popular platform Douban.

The film industry seems to be approaching Supergirl as a standard movie release, unlike the major event treatment given to Superman. And because Clayface is even less well-known, it might not get much attention at all.

Dismissing Clayface

The upcoming movie Clayface is being described as a scary, mature take on a classic DC villain. It’s one of two DC films planned for 2026 and will take place in the same universe as Superman and Supergirl, though it’s expected to have a much darker feel. Actor Tom Rhys Harries will play Clayface, and James Watkins is directing.

The fact that an up-and-coming actor is starring in a horror movie based on an obscure comic book character should be a warning sign. While Clayface might not completely fail at the box office, the fact that a media outlet like Puck News doesn’t think it will be successful suggests the movie could struggle.

But Warner Bros. may have already anticipated this and planned a contingency.

What Will Define 2026?

Given the positive reception to films like Sinners and Weapons, Warner Bros. doesn’t seem too worried about hitting specific box office numbers. According to analyst Matthew Belloni, the studio’s success next year won’t depend on whether films like Supergirl or Clayface earn $300 or $500 million. Instead, their focus is on the potential of movies like the new Tom Cruise film Digger, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three, and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride!

If the movies Supergirl and Clayface don’t perform well in theaters this year, Warner Bros. might signal a retreat from the competitive superhero movie market, rather than continuing to fight.

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2026-01-06 19:01