The DC Universe horror film Clayface earned approximately $43 million globally in its opening weekend, falling short of Supergirl's $68 million opening. However, the significant difference in production budgets between the two films makes it difficult to directly judge their commercial performance based solely on first-week figures.
Supergirl had a production budget exceeding $170 million and ultimately grossed $126.5 million worldwide; Clayface cost approximately $44 million, making it easier to approach profitability even with a smaller opening scale. Currently, it is not yet certain that Clayface has turned a profit, as the final outcome still depends on subsequent drop-offs and overseas revenue.
Clayface topped the global box office charts for the week, becoming the second film to claim the weekend crown since the merger of Paramount and Warner Bros., following Street Fighter, which was released the previous week. The film's North American weekend box office is estimated at around $24 million, slightly below earlier expectations, but it earned an A- CinemaScore, a relatively rare achievement for horror films.
Positive audience reviews, word-of-mouth, and the proximity to the Halloween season may help Clayface maintain its momentum in the coming weeks. For reference, Obsession opened with $17 million and, thanks to an A- rating, grossed over $20 million in each of the following three weekends; Another Mother opened with $45.6 million but received only a D+ CinemaScore, accumulating $51.5 million over three weeks.
These cases can only be used to observe the film's potential staying power and do not prove that Clayface has already become profitable. A more accurate assessment at this stage is that while its opening performance did not match that of major superhero films, its lower production cost significantly reduces commercial risk.
