‘Clayface’ Opens at No. 1 With $43 Million Worldwide

Clayface claimed the global box-office crown with an estimated $43 million opening, giving the DC horror film a solid start against its comparatively lean production budget.

A $24 million domestic debut

Director James Watkins’ body-horror feature earned about $24 million from more than 3,400 North American theaters. That total landed below the studio’s earlier $25 million-to-$30 million projection, but it was enough to finish first ahead of the second weekend of A24’s You Can See Everything.

Overseas audiences added roughly $19 million across 76 markets, according to trade estimates reported by Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter. The United Kingdom led several of the named territories with approximately $2.6 million, followed by Mexico at $1.4 million and Australia at $1.3 million.

A lower-cost test for DC Studios

The result matters because Clayface was produced for a reported $44 million before marketing, far less than many modern comic-book movies. IndieWire and The Hollywood Reporter both framed the debut as modest rather than spectacular, while noting that the smaller budget gives the release a more manageable path toward profitability.

The film also arrived with stronger audience signals than its niche villain might have suggested. It received an A- CinemaScore, while early Rotten Tomatoes results placed critics at 75 percent and audiences at 94 percent. Those scores can shift as more reviews arrive, but they give the movie useful momentum after opening weekend.

Tom Rhys Harries stars as Matt Hagen, an actor whose disfigurement leads him to seek help from a scientist played by Naomi Ackie. The premise lets DC Studios package a comic-book character as a graphic transformation story rather than a conventional superhero adventure.

Its commercial test now moves from curiosity to staying power. With no major new studio releases crowding the next weekend, Clayface has room to hold screens. The key question is whether positive audience reactions can turn an adequate debut into a durable theatrical run.