‘Clayface’ Builds on a $3.4 Million Tuesday as DC’s Horror Bet Finds an Audience

‘Clayface’ has made its first five days in theaters count: the DC horror film reached roughly $29.7 million domestically after earning about $3.4 million on Tuesday. That’s a 47.8% rise from Monday, according to box office tracker Luiz Fernando, as discounted tickets brought moviegoers in. The early figures give the film a promising foothold, though its longer run will matter more than one strong weekday.

The Tuesday result is notable among recent genre releases. Fernando’s comparisons put ‘Clayface’ level with ‘Birds of Prey’ on a comparable Tuesday, ahead of ‘Black Phone 2’ at $3.1 million, ‘Smile’ at $3 million, ‘Other Mommy’ at $2.9 million, ‘The Exorcist: Believer’ at $2.3 million and ‘Kraven the Hunter’ at $1.3 million. Those titles opened under different circumstances, so the comparison offers a point of reference rather than a direct forecast. Still, a weekday bump can help a film hold attention between its opening weekend and the next major audience rush.

The opening weekend itself was closely contested. ‘Clayface’ took the No. 1 spot with around $24 million from 3,458 theaters. ‘You Can See Everything’ earned $19.5 million in its second weekend, while ‘Wildwood’ opened in third place with $11 million. A Tuesday increase adds a useful note to that debut, but the film now needs to keep drawing viewers as the crowded opening-weekend field gives way to word of mouth.

Audience response gives the film another encouraging signal. It earned an A- CinemaScore, matching ‘Superman’ and ‘The Batman’—a strong grade for a horror release. James Gunn has noted that ‘Sinners’ is the only horror film to earn a straight A. The grade suggests that viewers leaving ‘Clayface’ are responding well, although audience scores capture one group’s reaction and don’t settle the debate among critics.

The film’s financial target is less settled than its domestic total. The Associated Press reported a $40 million budget; other outlets have put the production cost at $44 million before marketing. Either figure places the production below the scale of a typical superhero blockbuster, but the budget alone doesn’t tell the whole box office story. ComicBookMovie.com has estimated a worldwide breakeven point of about $110 million, while pointing to a soft $4.3 million international Friday across 76 markets. That estimate depends on costs and revenue beyond the production budget, and the available early figures don’t yet show whether the film can reach it.

Reviews are more divided than the audience grade. ‘Clayface’ sits in the mid-70s on Rotten Tomatoes, while its Metacritic score of 59 reflects a more mixed critical reception. Reviewers have singled out Tom Rhys Harries, making his first major lead appearance, and the film’s practical effects. Others have found the script thin and derivative. For viewers choosing a horror film, that split points to a clear appeal: the performance and physical effects may be the draw, while the story itself has proved less convincing for some critics.

James Watkins directed the film, which follows Matt Hagen from Gotham street kid to Hollywood star. After a crime boss disfigures him, Hagen undergoes an experimental treatment that loosens his grip on reality. Naomi Ackie, Eddie Marsan, David Dencik and Max Minghella also appear. The premise puts body horror and a character’s unraveling at the center, giving DC a different kind of screen story from a conventional cape adventure.

Beloved by audiences, #DCStudios’s R-rated film #Clayface took full advantage of Discount day at US #BoxOffice! #DCU’s first body horror, starring #TomRhysHarries, EXPLODED grossing 3.4M on TUE, up STRONG +47.8% from MON (vs #KravenTheHunter’s 1.3M, +53.1%, #TheExorcistBeliever 2.3M, -2.5%, #OtherMommy’s 2.9M, +0.5%, #Smile 3M, +35.4%, #BlackPhone2’s 3.1M, +43.6%, #BirdsOfPrey’s 3.4M, +56.5%) The CBM Horror, carrying a 44M production price-tag not including marketing, hits a 29.7M cume in the U.S. alone, in just 5 days. https://t.co/IK1ObzJUzs

— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) October 28, 2026

That genre choice was deliberate. James Gunn and Peter Safran received the concept from Mike Flanagan, who later wrote it with Hossein Amini. Safran told the Associated Press, “From the get-go, this was not designed to be a traditional superhero movie.” The aim, as he described it, was a horror film able to stand on its own terms. Its current performance will offer an early indication of whether audiences are willing to follow DC into stories shaped more by genre than by the familiar superhero format.

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

The release follows a disappointing box office result for ‘Supergirl’ earlier this year, adding pressure to DC’s next feature. A smaller production cost may give ‘Clayface’ a different path to success, but it still has to sustain ticket sales across markets. The reported domestic total comes from a tracker, so it could shift slightly as figures are finalized; the available numbers are an early snapshot, not a complete account of its run.

Halloween falls on Saturday, offering the film a timely chance to reach horror fans looking for a seasonal theater trip. If Tuesday’s lift leads into a strong holiday weekend, ‘Clayface’ could turn its audience response into a longer run. For now, the clearest takeaway is that a lesser-known DC character, an R-rated body horror approach and a comparatively modest production budget have produced a debut with room to grow. The next stretch will show whether that combination can keep audiences coming.

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

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 7, 2026