DC Studios has another number one box office hit to its name. But it’s not Superman or Batman behind the latest adaptation from the world of DC Comics. Rather, it’s an R-rated bit of body horror based on a villain from Batman’s rogues gallery. Clayface was sold as a complete horror film and that’s precisely what we got. Audiences were evidently intrigued by the concept.Â
See also: CLAYFACE Crawls Out Of The Darkness And Under Your Skin [Exclusive]
Directed by James Watkins (Speak No Evil), Clayface opened to an estimated $24 million domestically, good enough to give it the box office brown in its debut. The movie also pulled in $19 million internationally, giving it a $43 million global start. In most cases, an opening this low would be a one way ticket on the train to flop city for a big comic book movie. But this was no ordinary comic book movie.Â
It wasn’t budgeted like a superhero movie, which would probably cost at least $150 million before marketing. Instead, it was budgeted like a flashy horror movie at $44 million. This to say, relative to its budget, it worked for the intended audience. Because it wasn’t absurdly expensive, it didn’t have to lure in everyone and their mother to be successful. Lowering the bar in that way allowed for something more unique to exist within the DC Universe, which also includes movies like last year’s Superman and this year’s Supergirl.Â
The movie stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, tracing his meteoric rise from Gotham street kid to Hollywood leading man. That’s all cut short when a local crime boss leaves him horribly disfigured. Abandoned by his team and with nothing left, Matt seeks out a cutting edge treatment that miraculously returns him to his former self, but also unexpectedly affects his grip on reality. Horror master Mike Flanagan (Carrie) wrote the screenplay alongside Hossein Amini (Drive).Â
Critics were a little mixed on Clayface overall but audiences are eating it up. It earned an A- CinemaScore, which is exceptionally rare for a horror movie. That bodes very well for its chances in the coming weeks, especially since Halloween weekend has very few meaningful releases to pull attention away. If this movie goes the distance and turns a healthy profit – which it very well should – this could open the door for all sorts of unique comic book movies down the line.Â
This upcoming weekend sees Christmas at the Kringles and The Mongoose debut in theaters, making it a very quiet weekend. After that comes a big one though as Godzilla Minus Zero stops onto a screen near you on November 6,.Â
Clayface is in theaters now.Â
