Clayface looks set up to be a win for the DCU after securing the top spot at the box office with an estimated global haul of $43 million.
It’s a strong start for the low-budget DCU film, split between $24 million domestically and $19 million internationally. The opening weekend total falls toward the higher end of early projections as audiences showed up to see Tom Rhys Harries bring a twisted and often overlooked Batman villain to the big screen.
With brutal body horror elements in a story that sees the birth of its titular character, Clayface follows Matt Hagen as he attempts to rebuild his life after a horrible attack leaves his face scarred. Starring Harries, directed by James Watkins, and written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, this latest DCU movie took viewers into the darkest corners of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s universe they’ve seen yet, with a pretty hard-R rating.
It’s for these reasons that the DCU’s foray into a new live-action Gotham City left fans with question marks as they feared how a more adult-oriented story could fit into the same world as something as bubbly and bright as 2025’s Superman. So far, at least, it seems to have paid off, at least compared to Supergirl, which landed as a dud in the DCU earlier this year.
The Milly Alcock-led superhero movie was deemed a box office bomb after it premiered in June. That’s mostly due to its almost $200 million budget, which towered over the comparatively measly $126.46 million it gathered throughout its run (via Box Office Mojo). Clayface, on the other hand, is starting its time in theaters almost matching the $44 million budget reported by Variety.
Although there is certainly plenty of ground to cover before officially being declared a success, it seems like a strong start. A few factors will help carry Clayface throughout the rest of its run: Firstly, its October release timing means Halloween moviegoers will have something spooky to watch next weekend. Reviews have been pretty solid, too, with Rotten Tomatoes recording a 75% from critics and 94% from audiences.
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