DC Studios’ first horror film had a lot riding on its opening weekend. Supergirl posted one of the studio’s weakest debuts in June, so Clayface needed to show that an R-rated, body-horror Batman spin-off could find an audience. It did, with a No. 1 finish and strong audience grades. The film also gives the young DC Universe a very different kind of hit from its capes-and-sky-beams entries.
The Numbers
Clayface opened at No. 1 with about $24 million domestically and another $19 million overseas, for a $43 million global start. It debuted in 3,458 theaters, and the final domestic estimate was $24.5 million. That landed a little below the studio’s own projection of $25 to $30 million. Deadline notes the global total also fell short of the $45 million that had been hoped for, but called it solid against a net budget of $44 million before marketing costs.
A Photo Finish
The weekend was close. A24’s three-hour documentary You Can See Everything grew 25% in its second weekend to $19.5 million. Overall domestic box office totaled $94.9 million, up 21.8% on the same weekend last year. Deadline also reported that Clayface reached more than 363 million social media users before opening, ahead of M3GAN‘s 330 million.
Audiences Gave It an A-
Moviegoers responded better than critics did. Opening-weekend audiences gave the film an A- CinemaScore, while critics were cooler, with 75% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 59 on Metacritic. Screen Rant reported a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 76% critics’ score from 152 reviews. That puts it ahead of Supergirl at 52% but behind Superman at 83%. Deadline also pointed out that Universal’s Other Mommy earned a D+ from audiences on a similar global start.
What Critics Said
Critics praised the body horror and the lead performance. The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey said Tom Rhys Harries does much of the heavy lifting, even under layers of prosthetics. Rotten Tomatoes’ critics consensus says the film carves out a unique identity in the DCU while closely resembling body-horror classics. It adds that the film starts slowly before becoming a satisfying revenge thriller. USA Today’s Brian Truitt, however, faulted a severe lack of character development.
The Film
James Watkins (Eden Lake, Speak No Evil) directs from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini. It is the third film in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe, following Superman and Supergirl. Harries plays Matt Hagen, a rising actor who becomes a clay monster after an experimental treatment. Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella, and Eddie Marsan co-star.
What’s Next
Halloween weekend is the next test of whether the A- turns into a long run. Boxoffice Pro’s forecast has You Can See Everything challenging for the top spot. Second-weekend results will confirm how Clayface holds up.
