‘Clayface’ Opens at No. 1 With $10.4 Million Friday and Strong Audience Scores

‘Clayface’ has turned a cautious opening-day forecast into a more promising start for DC Studios’ $44 million body horror film. The R-rated release earned $10.4 million on Friday across 3,458 North American theaters, including $3.5 million from Thursday previews, and took the No. 1 spot. Earlier Friday estimates had put its opening-day total closer to $9.5 million.

That performance puts the film on course for an estimated $24 million to $25 million over the weekend. Box office commentator Luiz Fernando offered a higher range, projecting $24 million to $28 million for the three-day debut. Those figures are early estimates, but the direction is clear: ‘Clayface’ has opened ahead of the $15 million to $20 million tracking range that had emerged after presales were reported to be pacing roughly 80% behind ‘Supergirl’.

For a film centered on a less familiar DC character, the opening carries a useful signal about audience appetite. Tom Rhys Harries stars as Matt Hagen, a movie star left disfigured. The production cost is reported at $44 million, before marketing, making this a more contained theatrical bet than the franchise’s major superhero releases. The opening doesn’t settle the film’s eventual profitability, but it gives the title a solid domestic start.

A stronger start than the early comparisons suggested

Fernando compared Friday’s result with several horror and genre releases: ‘Smile’ opened with $8.2 million, ‘Longlegs’ with $10 million, and ‘Black Phone 2’ with $11 million. His comparison also included ‘Kraven the Hunter’ at $4.8 million. These are opening-day figures, rather than like-for-like measures of the films’ total runs, but they help place ‘Clayface’ among recent genre titles with recognizable audience appeal.

The weekend forecast also reflects the uncertainty that comes with a new release. A film can draw a strong first day and still depend on how well it holds through Saturday and Sunday. Here, early audience response offers a favorable sign: ‘Clayface’ received an A- CinemaScore and 4.5 stars on PostTrak. The source reports that those marks stand out for an R-rated body horror release, a category where audience exit scores often fall in the C and B range.

Walk-up ticket buying appears to have contributed to Friday’s result. An estimated $6.75 million of the day’s gross came from those sales, while Saturday matinees were described as strong by some trackers. That pattern may help explain why the initial presale comparisons proved less predictive of the opening than the later attendance suggested. The coming days will show whether favorable reactions are bringing in viewers who hadn’t planned to see the film in advance.

Audience reception and the international picture

‘Clayface’ added $4.3 million internationally on Friday. Studio expectations had pointed to another $20 million to $25 million overseas, which would place its possible worldwide debut in the $40 million to $50 million range. That remains a forecast, and the North American and international totals will sharpen as weekend results arrive.

Critics have also responded well so far. ‘Clayface’ holds a 76% score from reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes, alongside a 94% audience score. The Hollywood Reporter’s Frank Scheck called it a bold swing that pays off. Those figures and that review reflect early reactions rather than a universal verdict, but together with the audience grades they suggest that the film’s unusual approach is connecting with at least some viewers.

The available promotional posts include a trailer announcement and a set of posters, as shared by DiscussingFilm:

The final trailer for DC’s ‘CLAYFACE’ has been released.
In theaters on October 23. https://t.co/ecTMB97Sto

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 24, 2026

New posters for DC’s ‘CLAYFACE’.
In theaters on October 23. https://t.co/2DA3HTeKUQ

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 7, 2026

A crowded weekend and a different kind of DC bet

‘Clayface’ faced competition from A24’s ‘You Can See Everything’, which earned $6.14 million on Friday after expanding nationwide. It is aiming for a second weekend of around $20 million, a substantial increase over its opening. The films are chasing different audiences, and their Friday grosses show that ‘Clayface’ had the stronger first day while ‘You Can See Everything’ was building on a wider release.

The result also lands in a notable stretch for the companies involved. A No. 1 finish would give the newly combined Paramount-Warner Bros. a second consecutive win after ‘Street Fighter’ took $31 million last weekend. Some outlets have also framed ‘Clayface’ as a chance for Warner Bros. to end a recent run of theatrical disappointments. That context adds industry interest to the debut, though the film’s own performance will come down to its audience and its run in theaters.

Compared with the wider numbers attached to recent DC films, ‘Clayface’ is a smaller-scale test. ‘Superman’ earned $618.72 million during its 2025 run, while ‘Supergirl’ took $126 million worldwide against a reported $170 million budget earlier this year. Their results set a different financial scale; ‘Clayface’ has a lower production cost and centers on a villain less familiar to general audiences than Superman or Batman. The source expects it to rely more heavily on North American ticket sales than on international audiences, as ‘Superman’ did last year.

For now, the clearest takeaway is a better-than-expected opening supported by strong early audience grades. The estimates could shift as the weekend totals come in, and a single Friday can’t establish how long the film will hold. Still, if the reported word of mouth carries into the Halloween period, this standalone monster story may give DC Studios a persuasive case for keeping its smaller, riskier releases in the theatrical mix.

For more on the film’s place in Gotham, see How ‘Clayface’ Handles the Long Shadow of Gotham’s Most Famous Resident.