‘Clayface’ Opens Quietly in Europe as DC’s Horror Experiment Faces a Slow Start Overseas

DC Studios’ first horror film is working its way across the globe, and the early international numbers are starting to arrive. ‘Clayface‘, James Watkins’ R-rated body horror story about the Batman villain, began its overseas rollout on October 21, ahead of its North American release on October 23.

The movie arrives with a modest $40 million budget, but also with the weight of the DC Universe behind it. ‘Supergirl’ opened to $38 million domestically in June and finished with $126 million worldwide, so every opening result for ‘Clayface’ is being watched closely for signs of momentum.

Two European markets have now reported opening-day figures, and neither is a breakout. In Italy, ‘Clayface’ placed 7th on its opening day with €36,924 from 4,907 spectators, averaging just €246 across 150 cinemas. In France, it opened outside the top 5 on its first day, a result that stands out because ‘Supergirl’ had opened in 4th place there.

The French chart for October 21 was led by ‘Ducobu et le fantôme de Saint Potache’, followed by ‘Les Misérables’, ‘Mochy’, ‘Karma’ and ‘L’île des souvenirs’. ‘Clayface’ missed that group entirely, which is notable for a film that was also playing in IMAX in the country.

The early trend was visible even before the final count. At 2 p.m. in Paris, the film had gathered 652 spectators, trailing ‘Karma’ with 1,233 and ‘L’île des souvenirs’ with 1,068. The film is also rated 12+ in France, which keeps it open to a broader audience than its American R rating, though it is still not a family release.

In Italy, the day’s top spot went to ‘Je so’ pazzo’ with €167,536 from 24,285 spectators, followed by ‘Trainspotting’ with €141,491 and ‘L’estranea’ with €86,125. ‘Carlo Acutis. Il giovane Santo’ took fourth place with €70,854, while ‘Mammina’ and ‘Primetime’ earned €59,317 and €55,543.

‘Clayface’ landed right behind that group, though it edged past ‘Whalefall: Nella balena’, which earned €35,248 from 5,082 spectators. The gap is small, but it shows the film is competitive with other genre releases on the chart. ‘Naza’ and ‘Zustissia’ followed with €34,881 and €34,514.

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South Korea offered a slightly stronger picture. ‘Clayface’ opened there with 14,664 admissions on its first day across 556 screens, landing behind a Japanese animated film and a local release. Taken together, the early figures point to a respectable but unspectacular start in several markets.

The results don’t suggest a collapse, especially for a hard-edged horror film that was never built for family audiences, but they also don’t indicate a breakout. The real picture will come into focus once the weekend totals arrive.

Variety projected that ‘Clayface’ could earn $20 million to $25 million overseas from 76 markets for a global opening of $45 million to $55 million. In North America, the film is forecast to open between $25 million and $35 million from about 3,400 theaters, with other forecasts landing between $22 million and $30 million.

Not every indicator is positive. Tracking from a box office forum showed domestic presales pacing about 80% behind ‘Supergirl’ and 66% behind ‘Resident Evil’ at the same stage, with some projections pointing to an opening below $20 million. Advance sales don’t always predict the final result, but they have added to the pressure.

It’s worth keeping the early results in perspective. Opening-day figures can be a poor guide for horror films, which often rely on weekend audiences and word of mouth, and the film is entering crowded markets with strong local competition.

There are also encouraging signs on the reception side. French outlet AlloCiné noted that the first reactions were very positive, with viewers using words such as “fantastic” and “captivating.” If that goodwill carries over, the weekend could look better than the first-day numbers suggest.

The real test arrives this weekend, when North America opens and the global totals begin to take shape. Reports suggest the film needs around $80 million to $100 million in total box office to break even under typical industry math, which makes a healthy international share an important part of the equation.

The film also faces competition for the top domestic spot from A24’s documentary ‘You Can See Everything’, which is expanding to roughly 2,600 venues. Between that matchup and the early overseas numbers, ‘Clayface’ has plenty left to prove.

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