DC Officially Begins a New Era as 'Clayface' Debuts at the Box Office

Tom Rhys Harries gives Clayface something more unsettling than a monster to watch. His Matt Hagen is desperate to recover the face that made his career possible, and every attempt to fix the damage makes his situation worse. The transformation is the attraction, but watching Matt struggle to hold himself together is what makes DC's new horror movie worth investing in.

That is an effective starting point for a Batman villain who has rarely been given this much room outside animation and comics. Director James Watkins builds his version of Gotham around Matt's increasingly ugly circumstances, giving the city a perspective far removed from its usual rooftop vigilante. Arriving just before Halloween, the movie now has a chance to draw audiences who are more interested in its horror than its place in a cinematic universe.

Clayface earned an estimated $9.5 million domestically on its opening day, according to Deadline's latest box-office report. That figure includes $3.5 million from Thursday previews, putting Friday's additional earnings at approximately $6 million. The movie opened nationwide on October 23, and its early numbers currently point toward a $23 million to $25 million debut across 3,458 theaters. That would put Clayface at No. 1 for its first weekend. A24's You Can See Everything is currently projected to follow with approximately $19 million, benefiting from a major theatrical expansion after its strong limited opening. The race remains a projection, with Saturday and Sunday business still needed to determine where both movies will finish.

'Clayface' Has Another Big Horror Weekend Ahead of It

The timing gives Clayface an opportunity beyond its opening frame. Its second Friday falls on October 30, placing Halloween itself on the following Saturday. For a movie that has sold itself through disturbing body-horror footage, that is a useful spot on the calendar, provided its first audiences give others a reason to buy a ticket. The movie also offers something for viewers who want more than a collection of gruesome effects. Harries and Naomi Ackie, who plays Dr. Caitlyn Corr, have the chemistry to make their characters' dangerous involvement compelling. Matt's reliance on her treatment gives their scenes an uncertainty that carries through to the horror, with the possibility of recovery becoming increasingly difficult to separate from the damage being done.

Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini wrote the screenplay, following Flanagan's original pitch for the character. Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, and David Dencik also star, with Minghella having previously promised the movie would commit to its body horror. The finished movie gives that commitment an actor at its center who can make the suffering register underneath the makeup. For now, the opening-day estimate gives Clayface a lead to defend through the rest of the weekend. Its projected debut would establish an audience for DC's horror experiment, with the Halloween frame providing the next test of its staying power.

Clayface is now playing in theaters.