DC Studios’ first lower-budget genre test under Peter Safran and James Gunn has a real opening number. Clayface took an estimated $3.5 million from U.S. Thursday previews that began at 2 p.m., according to distribution sources, putting it on track for a $20 million–$25 million domestic weekend.
A second straight No. 1 would change the narrative
If the weekend lands in that range, the recently combined Paramount-Warner Bros would secure its second consecutive chart-topping opener after last weekend’s Street Fighter ($31M). The James Watkins-directed film is a standalone story about Hollywood actor Matt Hagen, not a direct Batman-villain extension, and carries a net production cost of $44M before P&A, shot in the UK.
The screenplay by Mike Flanagan is what first got Gunn and Safran excited back in December 2011, and the bet was to make a controlled-cost DC title that did not need superhero-event economics to work.
Preview comps show the lane
- Kraven the Hunter: $2M previews, $11M opening — Clayface is ahead.
- Birds of Prey: $4M previews, $33M opening — Clayface is close behind.
- Other Mommy: $3.6M previews, $27.8M opening — nearly matched.
- Smile: $2M previews, $22.6M opening — Clayface is ahead.
- Digger: $1.2M previews, $8M opening — well ahead.
The Rotten Tomatoes critics score is also working in the film’s favour: 76% certified fresh, higher than The Flash (63%), Supergirl (52%), Joker Folie à Deux (31%), Shazam! Fury of the Gods (49%) and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (33%), and just shy of Birds of Prey (79%).
The hold will matter more than the preview
The studio is watching whether Clayface is front-loaded. The A24 documentary You Can See Everything, about Theranos architect Elizabeth Holmes, expands from 855 to 2,600 locations after a strong $15.6M opening last weekend. Laika’s stop-motion Wildwood is also circling with roughly $1M in Fathom previews; its 100% critics and 98% audience scores could push it toward double digits.
Lower-budget DC is not a new idea
DC has been in this corner before. The Losers (2010) cost $25M before P&A, opened to $9.4M and finaled at $23.5M domestic. Jonah Hex (2010) bombed with a $5.3M opening and $10.5M domestic against a $47M production cost. V for Vendetta (2005) is the model: a $25.6M No. 1 opening off a $50M cost, $70.5M domestic and $134.7M global.
For media planners and entertainment marketers, the Clayface number is a useful read on whether a lower-cost, genre-branded title can open like a horror film and still carry DC branding. The preview multiple and the Saturday hold will signal whether this is a fan rush or genuine general-audience demand.
Source: Deadline
