'Clayface' Is Proving That DC's Body Horror Gamble Was Worth the Risk

DC Studios has had a bruising year when it comes to big-budget spectacle. ‘Supergirl’ reportedly cost close to $200 million to make and collected just $126.46 million worldwide, earning a box-office bomb label. Against that backdrop, any DC release that doesn’t lose money feels like a small victory.

Enter ‘Clayface‘, the studio’s first-ever foray into horror. Directed by James Watkins from a script by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, the R-rated film stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, a Hollywood actor transformed into a being made of clay after an experimental treatment. It was produced for a reported $44 million, a fraction of what the studio spent on its recent superhero tentpoles. Originally dated for September 11, it ultimately opened on October 23 to capitalize on the Halloween season.

Now the ‘Clayface’ box office run is starting to look like the kind of ratio DC Studios has been chasing all year. The film has grossed around $109 million worldwide and is now eyeing a finish between $135 million and $145 million. That means it has already earned more than twice its reported budget.

‘Clayface’ debuted at No. 1 with $24 million domestically and $19 million overseas, a $43 million global start that landed right in the tracking range of $20 million to $26 million. Overseas, the UK ($2.6 million), Mexico ($1.4 million) and Australia ($1.3 million) led the way.

It narrowly edged ‘You Can See Everything’, the Elizabeth Holmes documentary, which took in $19.5 million in its second weekend. The opening was the second-lowest for a DC film since ‘Man of Steel’, though the budget meant it didn’t need a blockbuster number.

The real story came after Halloween week. The second weekend dropped 57% in North America, but international business fell only 34.7%, and the film reached $83 million worldwide and passed ‘The Substance’ as the highest-grossing body horror movie ever. Its third weekend held better, with the US take falling 38.8% to $6.7 million.

The third weekend lifted the global total to $109 million, made up of $56.6 million domestically and $52.4 million internationally across 76 markets. That crossed the $100 million mark on roughly day 16, and it makes ‘Clayface’ only the sixth R-rated horror movie of the year to pass that milestone. Estimates put its break-even point somewhere between $100 million and $110 million.

Projections vary, but the outlook is positive. Estimators see a worldwide finish between $130 million and $150 million, with a domestic run of at least $70 million to $75 million. One analyst had earlier projected a more conservative $115 million to $125 million.

Worldwide box office is a gross and not money deposited straight into Warner Bros.’ bank account, since distribution deals and participation arrangements all affect what comes back. Budget figures also vary, with some outlets citing around $40 million and a reported range of $30 million to $44 million.

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

Early reactions praised the brutal body horror and Harries’ performance, and DC Studios co-head James Gunn has described the film as a full-blown horror project. A rating of 3.7 out of 5 on Letterboxd from the first 130 reviews pointed to a warm reception before release. Positive word of mouth has since helped the film hold up after the Halloween period.

The supporting cast includes Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan. The film runs 108 minutes, and Screen Daily’s review credited Watkins with providing B-movie grit.

The Blumhouse-style model behind ‘Clayface’ offers a different blueprint from the studio’s costly superhero films. Reports note that ‘Superman’ reportedly cost $225 million and ‘Supergirl’ between $170 million and $186 million, putting their break-even points above $400 million, which only ‘Superman’ reached.

For now, ‘Clayface’ suggests there is room for both capes and creeping unease in the same universe, and its steady legs have made it a rare easy win for the studio. The timing around Halloween looks well chosen, and the coming weeks will show how much further it can climb.