Technology

Superman is a box office hit, but the hard part comes next

Published

6 months ago

July 14, 2025

Superman is a box office hit, but the hard part comes next

Over the weekend, DC Studios’ new Superman feature became this year’s third-biggest box-office debut in the US. The movie’s success is a sign that theatergoers might actually not be quite as tired of superheroes as people tend to think, and that’s particularly notable for Warner Bros., given the studio’s plan to build a new cinematic universe of DC Comics adaptations for the big screen. But making interconnected film franchises work is easier said than done. And even though Superman is putting up numbers, DC might have a much harder time doing the same with its next couple of cape movies.

Though it fell short of A Minecraft Movie’s and Lilo & Stitch’s domestic opening weekends, Superman raked in $125 million stateside and another $95 million internationally, making it WB’s strongest superhero debut since Matt Reeves’ The Batman in 2022. You can see those numbers reflected in the sheer amount of Superman hype (some of which has been weird and gross) that has overtaken social media since the movie first premiered. Because of Superman’s success, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn is reportedly thinking about a couple of spinoff series revolving around Edi Gathegi‘s Mister Terrific and Skyler Gisondo‘s Jimmy Olsen. But before any of that comes to fruition, the studio first has to sell the public on its next two big tentpole features due out next year: Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl and James Watkins’ Clayface.

Following the disaster that became known as the DCEU, WB was in desperate need of a fresh start and a vision for how it could use DC characters in ways that audiences would actually like. That need led to the creation of DC Studios with Gunn and co-CEO Peter Safran guiding the whole endeavor. Though Gunn had worked on previous DC projects, his DC Studios’ appointment felt like a power move on WB’s part that spoke to its desire to push back against Marvel’s box-office dominance. And while it seemed a little odd that Gunn wanted to launch his new DC Universe with an animated Creature Commandos streaming series for (HBO) Max, it was easy to understand the logic behind his plan to make a new Superman the franchise’s centerpiece.

Superman has always been a pillar of the DC Comics brand and embodied much of what makes the company’s characters compelling across different mediums. In a universe full of gods, alien monsters, and supervillains, Superman represents hope and humanity at its best. He’s a near-indestructible powerhouse, but he’s also just a dork from Kansas who loves his family and believes in the importance of journalism. He’s got a bunch of superfriends, but he also has major beef with deranged billionaires who can’t wrap their minds around the concept of immigrants being people who make valuable contributions to society.

Those basic beats have defined Superman stories ever since the character first appeared back in 1938. And part of what makes Gunn’s new film so excellent is the way it weaves all of those ideas together into a colorful, optimistic joyride that feels nothing like WB’s other recent takes on the Man of Steel.

Some of Superman’s success can also be attributed to the basic fact that he’s a character whose lore most people are familiar with — something the movie acknowledges by glossing over Clark Kent’s tragic backstory and dropping you right into his life as an established superhero. But the same can’t exactly be said for Superman’s cousin, Kara / Supergirl, and B-tier Batman villain Clayface.

Thanks to CBS’s Supergirl and HBO Max’s Harley Quinn animated series, Kara and Clayface have had pretty big presences on the small screen in recent years. But the characters have always had somewhat lower profiles compared to DC’s other heroes and villains. Viewed through one lens, DC Studios following Superman up with Supergirl and Clayface reads as a calculated move to avoid following in the examples of the MCU and DCEU, which were both fleshed out with a series of features focused on the kinds of A-list characters you see on lunchboxes and bookbags. But the upcoming features also feel, at least on paper, informed by the way that studios like Marvel and Disney have gotten into the habit of expanding their genre franchises with ill-conceived spinoffs.

That’s kind of the general vibe you get from the full slate of DC Studio’s projects that are currently in development, which includes a stop-motion movie about two of Batman’s Robins, a True Detective-style Green Lantern show for HBO Max, and a feature about Bane and Deathstroke. A sequel to The Batman — which predates the DCU and exists in its own continuity — is also due out in 2027. And at some point down the line, the studio intends to introduce a new Bruce Wayne who will presumably link up with Superman and Wonder Woman (whose reboot is also in the pipeline) to form some sort of Justice League.

A man with a black face mask shaped like the letter T. The man is also a black, red, and white motorcycle jacket with matching pants and standing in front of a pherical space ship.

DC Studios

Most of DC Studios’ far-off films and series feel like the kinds of projects you would expect a studio to lead with — ones with instantly recognizable characters whose stories are well known enough to get audiences curious and excited about how they could be done differently. Milly Alcock’s Supergirl, who gets a brief and fantastic Superman cameo, seems a bit better suited to keep the franchise’s current momentum going. But given that we’re so early in this DCU’s existence, a body horror like Clayface, about an actor who becomes a murderous mud monster, feels like a tougher sell (even if Mike Flanagan is writing the script).

It’s easy to imagine Supergirl and Clayface revealing that what audiences have grown weary of isn’t comics-inspired narratives, but sprawling, interconnected franchises more concerned with growth than being made up of good movies. That energy is what dragged the MCU into its flop era and made most of Disney Plus’ Star Wars series slogs to get through, and DC Studios clearly doesn’t want to wind up in a similar position. Turning Clark’s cousin and a lesser-known DC villain into box-office juggernauts might be an even bigger challenge — but Superman at least shows that Gunn and Safran know where to start. And if the studio plays its cards right, this really might be the start of a new golden age for DC.

Related Topics:analysis comics dc comics Entertainment film tv-shows

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Technology

Meta expands nuclear power ambitions to include Bill Gates’ startup

Published

27 minutes ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Meta expands nuclear power ambitions to include Bill Gates’ startup

These AI projects include Prometheus, the first of several supercluster computing systems, which is expected to come online in New Albany, Ohio, sometime this year. Meta is funding the construction of new nuclear reactors as part of the agreements, the first of which may come online “as early as 2030.” These announcements are part of Meta’s ongoing goal to support its future AI operations with nuclear energy, having previously signed a deal with Constellation to revive an aging nuclear power plant last year.

Financial information for the agreements hasn’t been released, but Meta says that it will “pay the full costs for energy used by our data centers so consumers don’t bear these expenses.”

“Our agreements with Vistra, TerraPower, Oklo, and Constellation make Meta one of the most significant corporate purchasers of nuclear energy in American history,” Meta’s chief global affairs officer, Joel Kaplan, said in the announcement. “State-of-the-art data centers and AI infrastructure are essential to securing America’s position as a global leader in AI.”

Technology

Why January is the best time to remove personal data online

Published

57 minutes ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Why January is the best time to remove personal data online

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

January feels like a reset. A new calendar. New goals. New habits. While you clean out your inbox, organize paperwork or set resolutions, however, scammers also hit reset, and they start with your personal data.

That is because January is one of the most important months for online privacy. This is when data brokers refresh profiles and scammers rebuild their target lists.

As a result, the longer your information stays online, the more complete and valuable your profile becomes. To help address this, institutions like the U.S. Department of the Treasury have released advisories urging people to stay vigilant and avoid data-related scams.

For that reason, taking action early in the year can significantly reduce scam attempts, lower identity theft risks, and limit unwanted exposure for the rest of the year.

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January is when data brokers refresh profiles and scammers rebuild target lists, making early action critical for online privacy. (iStock)

STOP DATA BROKERS FROM SELLING YOUR INFORMATION ONLINE

Why personal data does not expire and keeps compounding online

Many people assume old information eventually becomes useless. Unfortunately, that’s not how data brokers work.

Data brokers don’t just store a snapshot of who you are today. They build living profiles that grow over time, pulling from:

Public records (property sales, court filings, voter registrations)
Retail purchases and loyalty programs
App usage and location data
Past addresses, phone numbers, and relatives
Marketing databases and online activity.

Each year adds another layer. A new address. A changed phone number. A family connection. A retirement milestone. On its own, one data point doesn’t mean much. But together, they create a detailed identity profile that scammers can use to convincingly impersonate you. That’s why waiting makes things worse, not better.

Why scammers ‘rebuild’ targets at the start of the year

Scammers don’t randomly target people. They work from lists. At the beginning of the year, those lists get refreshed.

Why January matters so much:

Data brokers update and resell profiles after year-end records close
New public filings from the previous year become searchable
Marketing databases reset campaigns and audience segments
Scam networks repackage data into “fresh” target lists.

Think of it like the upcoming spring cleaning, except it’s criminals organizing identities to exploit for the next 12 months.

If your data is still widely exposed in January, you’re far more likely to:

Once your profile is flagged as responsive or profitable, it often stays in circulation.

As personal information accumulates across databases, digital profiles grow more detailed and more valuable to scammers over time. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Why taking action in January protects you all year long

Removing your data early isn’t just about stopping scams today; it’s about cutting off the supply chain that fuels them. When your information is removed from data broker databases:

It’s harder for scammers to find accurate contact details
Phishing messages become less convincing
Impersonation attempts fail more often
Your identity becomes less valuable to resell.

This has a compounding benefit in the opposite direction. The fewer lists you appear on in January, the fewer times your data gets reused, resold, and recycled throughout the year. That’s why I consistently recommend addressing data exposure before problems start, not after.

Why retirees and families feel the impact first

January is especially important for retirees and families because they’re more likely to become targets of fraud, scams, and other crimes.

Retirees often have:

Long addresses and employment histories
Stable credit profiles
Fewer active credit applications
Public retirement and property records

Families add another layer of risk:

Relatives are linked together in broker profiles
One exposed family member can expose others
Shared addresses and phone plans increase visibility

Scammers know this. That’s why households with established financial histories are prioritized early in the year.

Why quick fixes don’t work

Many people try to “start fresh” in January by:

Those steps help, but they don’t remove your data from broker databases. Credit monitoring services alert you after something goes wrong. Password changes don’t affect public profiles. And unsubscribing doesn’t stop data resale. If your personal information is still sitting in hundreds of databases, scammers can find you.

The January privacy reset that actually works

If you want fewer scam attempts for the rest of the year, the most effective step is removing your personal data at the source.

You can do this in one of two ways. You can submit removal requests yourself, or you can use a professional data removal service to handle the process for you.

Removing your data yourself

Manually removing your data means identifying dozens or even hundreds of data broker websites, finding their opt-out forms and submitting removal requests one by one. You also need to verify your identity, track responses and repeat the process whenever your information reappears.

This approach works, but it requires time, organization, and ongoing follow-up.

Using a data removal service

A data removal service handles this process on your behalf. These services typically:

Send legal data removal requests to large networks of data brokers
Monitor for reposted information and submit follow-up removals
Continue tracking your exposure throughout the year
Manage a process that most people cannot realistically maintain on their own

Removing your data at the start of the year helps reduce scam attempts, phishing messages and identity theft risks all year long. (iStock)

Because these services handle sensitive personal information, it is important to choose one that follows strict security standards and uses verified removal methods.

While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.

RETIREES LOSE MILLIONS TO FAKE HOLIDAY CHARITIES AS SCAMMERS EXPLOIT SEASONAL GENEROSITY

Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.

Kurt’s key takeaways

Scammers don’t wait for mistakes. They wait for exposed data. January is when profiles are refreshed, lists are rebuilt, and targets are chosen for the year ahead. The longer your personal information stays online, the more complete-and dangerous-your digital profile becomes. The good news? You can stop the cycle. Removing your data now reduces scam attempts, protects your identity, and gives you a quieter, safer year ahead. If you’re going to make one privacy move this year, make it early-and make it count.

Have you ever been surprised by how much of your personal information was already online? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

Xbox’s Towerborne is switching from a free-to-play game to a paid one

Published

13 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Xbox’s Towerborne is switching from a free-to-play game to a paid one

Towerborne, a side-scrolling action RPG published by Xbox Game Studios that has been available in early access, will officially launch on February 26th. But instead of launching as a free-to-play, always-on online game as originally planned, Towerborne is instead going to be a paid game that you can play offline.

“You will own the complete experience permanently, with offline play and online co-op,” Trisha Stouffer, CEO and president of Towerborne developer Stoic, says in an Xbox Wire blog post. “This change required deep structural rebuilding over the past year, transforming systems originally designed around constant connectivity. The result is a stronger, more accessible, and more player-friendly version of Towerborne — one we’re incredibly proud to bring to launch.”

“After listening to our community during Early Access and Game Preview, we learned players wanted a complete, polished experience without ongoing monetization mechanics,” according to an FAQ. “Moving to a premium model lets us deliver the full game upfront—no live-service grind, no pay-to-win systems—just the best version of Towerborne.”

With the popular live service games like Fortnite and Roblox getting harder to usurp, Towerborne’s switch to a premium, offline-playable experience could make it more enticing for players who don’t want to jump into another time-sucking forever game. It makes Towerborne more appealing to me, at least.

With the 1.0 release of the game, Towerborne will have a “complete” story, new bosses, and a “reworked” difficulty system. You’ll also be able to acquire all in-game cosmetics for free through gameplay, with “no more cosmetic purchasing.” Players who are already part of early access will still be able to play the game.

Towerborne will launch on February 26th on Xbox Series X / S, Xbox on PC, Game Pass, Steam, and PS5. The standard edition will cost $24.99, while the deluxe edition will cost $29.99.