DC’s strangest gamble of the year has just paid off. The Clayface box office collection crossed $100 million worldwide this weekend, on Sunday 8 November 2026, turning a small R-rated horror film about a Batman villain into one of the most profitable releases in the new DC Universe. The film now stands at $109 million worldwide, and it is closing in on its break-even point far sooner than anyone expected.
Image Credit: DC Studios / Warner Bros. Pictures — Official Trailer via YouTube
That sentence alone tells you why this story matters. Clayface was never supposed to be a $100 million movie. It is a body-horror film with no Batman, no Justice League and no capes — just a disfigured actor whose flesh turns to clay. Yet in its third weekend in theatres, it joined the $100 million club, and it did so while costing a fraction of what DC’s other 2026 films cost.
Clayface Box Office Collection: The $100 Million Milestone Arrives Today
The Clayface box office collection reached its big milestone in the film’s third weekend. According to Warner Bros. figures reported by ScreenRant on 8 November, and also noted by CBR, the film is projected to finish the weekend at $109 million worldwide — $56.6 million from theatres in North America and $52.4 million from international markets. The third weekend itself added about $6.67 million domestically, a strong hold for a horror film in its third week, especially against the huge opening weekends of Godzilla Minus Zero and The Cat in the Hat.
Crossing $100 million took Clayface roughly 16 days. That sounds slow next to the other DC Universe films, and it is — but the comparison misses the point. Clayface is an R-rated horror film, and R-rated films simply cannot reach the audience a PG-13 superhero epic can. Even so, it is only the sixth R-rated horror movie of 2026 to pass the $100 million mark worldwide, outgrossing more than a dozen other R-rated horror titles released this year.
A Slow Climb That Still Beat the Odds
The Clayface box office collection did not start with fireworks. The film opened at No. 1 in North America on 23 October 2026 with $24 million, plus about $19 million from other markets, for a $43 million worldwide start. It was the lowest-grossing domestic opening weekend of the three DC Universe films so far — but what happened next is what saved it.
In its second weekend, Clayface dropped just 54.2%, a far healthier hold than Supergirl’s brutal 76.8% second-weekend fall, and close to Superman’s 53.2%. By the end of its second weekend it stood at about $83 million worldwide. Then, in its third weekend, it added enough to push past $100 million — and along the way it passed The Substance to become the highest-grossing body horror movie ever worldwide.
That steady, week-after-week performance is the real story here. Horror films usually collapse after opening weekend. Clayface did not. Audiences kept coming, and the film kept earning, even as two giant new releases arrived in its third weekend. For another new release that weekend, see our Drummer Boy box office collection report.
The Budget Math: Why $100 Million Matters More for Clayface
Here is the fact that changes how you should read the Clayface box office collection. The film reportedly cost only $40–44 million to make. That is tiny by modern superhero-movie standards, and it means $100 million is not just a round number — it is the threshold where a modest horror film becomes a profitable one.
ScreenRant puts Clayface’s break-even point at around $110 million worldwide, just $1 million above where the film stands now. That means the film is likely to pass break-even within days, during its third full week in theatres. Box office analyst Luiz Fernando believes the film is heading for a final worldwide total between $130 million and $150 million. If that happens, Clayface will finish as one of the most profitable DC films ever made relative to its cost — more than triple its production budget.
Compare that with the film’s DC Universe siblings. Superman reportedly cost $225 million and finished at $618.7 million worldwide. Supergirl reportedly cost between $170 million and $186 million and finished at just $126.4 million — a loss-making run. Clayface spent a quarter of Supergirl’s budget and is about to end up in roughly the same box office neighbourhood.
Clayface vs Superman and Supergirl: A Different Kind of Win
The Clayface box office collection tells a very different story from the other two DC Universe films, and the numbers make the contrast stark.
Superman crossed $100 million worldwide on its third day in theatres. Supergirl got there on day 10. Clayface needed about 16 days — more than five times slower than Superman. But both of those films were PG-13 releases with nine-figure budgets and the full weight of DC marketing behind them. Clayface is an R-rated horror film built around a villain most general audiences had never heard of, starring a lead actor who was not a household name.
And yet, on the only scoreboard that matters to a studio, Clayface is the one that looks like a win. It is the third film in the newly rebranded DC Universe, and it proves that a small, focused, genre-driven DC film can make money without a $200 million budget. That is a lesson DC Studios will remember when it plans its next slate.
The Story Behind DC’s Body-Horror Gamble
If you have not seen the film yet, here is what it is. Clayface follows Matt Hagen, played by Tom Rhys Harries, a rising Hollywood actor whose career is destroyed when a local crime boss leaves him horribly disfigured. Desperate to get his face — and his life — back, he turns to an experimental procedure offered by Dr. Caitlin Bates, played by Naomi Ackie. The procedure works, but it changes his body into living clay, and the man who wanted his face back becomes one of Gotham’s most recognisable villains.
James Watkins, who directed the hit horror film Speak No Evil, directs from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, based on a story by Flanagan. The cast also includes David Dencik, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, Nancy Carroll and Joshua James. James Gunn, Peter Safran, Matt Reeves and Lynn Harris produce for DC Studios, and Warner Bros. Pictures distributes the film. It is part of DC Universe Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, and it is the first time DC has pushed one of Batman’s villains into full body horror.
The film opened in theatres in North America on 23 October 2026, with international markets starting from 21 October, and it runs 108 minutes. It was originally scheduled for 11 September 2026, but DC moved it to the October date to land it right before Halloween — a smart call for a horror film.
What Happens Next for Clayface
The Clayface box office collection still has room to grow. The film should pass its roughly $110 million break-even point within days, and analysts see it finishing between $130 million and $150 million worldwide. For a film that cost around $40 million, that is an outstanding result.
There is no OTT release date announced yet — the film is only in cinemas for now, so the streaming date will come later, after its theatrical run winds down. For now, the story is simple: a small, scary, strange DC film about a man made of clay has quietly become one of the smartest bets the studio has made in years. And if the next DC films follow the same low-budget, high-concept model, the $100 million Clayface just crossed could be the start of something much bigger.
Watch the official trailer here:
Image Credit: DC Studios / Warner Bros. Pictures — Official Trailer via YouTube
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Clayface box office collection so far?
The Clayface box office collection stands at $109 million worldwide as of its third weekend (8 November 2026) — $56.6 million in North America and $52.4 million from international markets.
When did Clayface cross $100 million worldwide?
Clayface crossed $100 million worldwide in its third weekend in theatres, on roughly day 16 after its 23 October 2026 release. The milestone was reported on Sunday 8 November 2026.
What is the budget of Clayface?
Clayface reportedly cost around $40–44 million to make, far less than Superman ($225 million) or Supergirl ($170–186 million). Its break-even point is estimated at around $110 million worldwide.
Who stars in Clayface?
Tom Rhys Harries stars as Matt Hagen / Clayface, with Naomi Ackie as Dr. Caitlin Bates. The cast also includes David Dencik, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, Nancy Carroll and Joshua James. James Watkins directs.
Is Clayface available on OTT?
No. Clayface is only in cinemas for now, and no OTT release date or platform has been announced yet.
