‘Clayface’ Trails ‘Supergirl’ in Early Overseas Box Office Returns, but DC’s Cheaper Horror Bet Isn’t Dead Yet

DC’s latest swing is a long way from the capes and cosmic stakes of its usual blockbusters. ‘Clayface’ is an R-rated body horror film starring Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, a rising actor whose ruined face leads him to a scientist, played by Naomi Ackie, whose treatment slowly turns his body into living clay.

It also arrives at a delicate moment for James Gunn’s DC Universe, since the studio is still absorbing the sting of ‘Supergirl.’ This summer’s superhero outing opened to $37.1 million domestically and wrapped its run well short of expectations. That makes the early ‘Clayface’ box office numbers more closely watched than a modest horror release normally would be.

The first overseas returns are not encouraging. ‘Clayface‘ is opening below ‘Supergirl’ in every early international market reported so far, landing at roughly 70% of its day-1 total in Australia, around 35% in Indonesia and about 55% in South Korea. Against ‘Kraven the Hunter,’ the picture is more mixed: ‘Clayface’ is tracking at about 170% in Australia but just 40% in Indonesia.

The soft start isn’t limited to those 3 territories. ‘Clayface’ reportedly opened outside the top 5 in France and in 7th place in Italy. In South Korea, it debuted in 3rd place on October 21 with just under 19,000 admissions, compared with 34,000 for ‘Supergirl’ on its first day.

The screen count tells part of the story, too. ‘Clayface’ played on 556 screens in South Korea versus 808 for ‘Supergirl.’ Reported overseas estimates currently land near $32 million for the film’s full run.

🚨 Not the box office start DC was hoping for 😵‍💫 #Clayface is opening below Supergirl in every early overseas market reported so far.. Can we at least clear Kraven the Hunter? 📊 Day-1 comps: 🆚SuperGirl 🇦🇺~70%❌|🇮🇩~35%❌|🇰🇷~55%❌ 🆚Kraven 🇦🇺~170%✅|🇮🇩~40%❌ 🌍$45M global opening in play Budget💸: $44M – Possible Profit🤞

— Box Office Forecast 🎬 (@BoxOfficeFcst) October 23, 2026

The ‘Supergirl’ benchmark looks harsher than the situation really is. ‘Supergirl’ carried a production budget of at least $170 million and finished with roughly $126 million worldwide, making it a clear flop. ‘Clayface’ cost a fraction of that, with reported budgets ranging from about $30 million to $44 million depending on the source.

That gap means ‘Clayface’ doesn’t need anywhere near the same haul to break even. A global opening of around $45 million is reportedly in play, and a worldwide forecast of $115 million would be roughly 3 times the budget at the lower end of those reports. Another way to look at it is that ‘Clayface’ could land in profit without ever matching ‘Supergirl’ at the box office.

Critics have been kinder to ‘Clayface.’ ‘Supergirl’ debuted at 57% on Rotten Tomatoes, while ‘Clayface’ currently sits at 76% critics and 95% audience. So far, those scores haven’t translated into stronger overseas numbers.

Awareness may be the real problem. Tracking showed just 32% awareness for the film, though among people who knew about it, 21% planned to see it opening weekend, which is the profile of a small but committed audience. Horror fans may well show up in force closer to Halloween.

Watch the first trailer for #Clayface. The new DC horror film is in theaters October 23. https://t.co/gqrrtJSou5

— Rotten Tomatoes 🍅 (@RottenTomatoes) April 22, 2026

At home, the early signs are better. Thursday previews reportedly earned an estimated $3.5 million, beating the $2 million ‘Kraven the Hunter’ took in before its $11 million opening. Projections for the domestic debut vary, with Deadline pegging the opening weekend at $20 million to $25 million and Boxoffice Pro forecasting $25 million to $30 million.

That would likely be enough to land at No. 1, though A24’s documentary ‘You Can See Everything’ is expected to put up a fight in its 2nd week. A first-place finish would also give the newly merged Paramount and Warner Bros. a 2nd straight No. 1 opening after ‘Street Fighter’ debuted with around $31 million last weekend.

The stakes extend beyond one opening weekend. ‘Clayface’ is the last DC movie until ‘Man of Tomorrow’ arrives next July, and it is DC Studios’ first foray into R-rated body horror. A modest hit would prove the brand can stretch beyond its core heroes, while a stumble would add to the narrative that the DCU’s early momentum has stalled.

The next few days will say a lot about whether its cheaper price tag is the shield it appears to be.

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