Could 'Clayface' Be the Blueprint for DC's Box Office Future?
By Kieran Burt - October 29, 2026
Movies - Features - Box Office
Clayface is the latest DC film, starring Tom Rhys Harries as actor Matt Hagen, who gets experimental treatment for his face, though unfortunately begins to develop powers that melt his body and allow him to shapeshift. Its $24 million domestic opening and $43 million worldwide opening are solid thanks to the film’s low budget of $44 million, with the film having a good CinemaScore of A-, indicating its potential to be a long stay at the box office. As DC kept the budget low, it can more easily recoup its investment, and could indicate a path forward for future DC films, especially as they have a stable of villains that would fit into a horror movie.
The new DCU is in a strange position at the moment. Superman, which finished back in 2025, was a moderate success at the box office, but its second film, Supergirl, released in June 2026, was not. It opened to $37.1 million domestically, and it finished its box office run with $72.4 million domestically and $126.7 million worldwide. Unfortunately, this didn’t come close to the reported breakeven point of $315 million, and was a big money loser. The effects-heavy movie bumped up the cost to high levels, which sank the film’s potential.
After these two movies, anyone would have thought that the DCU would have returned to safe ground like a Batman movie or a Wonder Woman movie, but with no DCU Batman or Wonder Woman cast, the studio did return to Gotham, but for a Clayface movie, a Batman villain. Co-CEO of DC Studios James Gunn explained that the film was greenlit due to an exceptional story from horror mastermind Mike Flanagan. It also carried a smaller budget, which meant, as explained above, it has managed to pull its weight.
Comic-book movies usually carry a high price tag due to their effects-heavy nature, and so need to bring it home big for studios to keep investing in them, but DC’s foray into the horror genre shows a more sustainable way for these movies to exist. Horror films are usually very cheap to make and thus don’t need to bring back a huge amount to be profitable; Blumhouse, for example, has built itself on cheap horror hits, such as Obsession and Other Mommy from this year, and outside of Blumhouse, horror also has done well, such as Iron Lung, and Backrooms. It’s a genre that has been able to produce iconic cult-classics that stand out from other films.
This ability to stand out is also something that superhero movies are in dire need of. Many people have become bored of each comic-book movie being similar to others. Horror gives these films the ability to stand out among their peers, and stick in the minds of audiences. Clayface’s A- CinemaScore proves it has been able to do this, with strong word of mouth. Films that go all-in on this premise - Clayface’s R rating enabled its body horror and unique kills - have the potential to set themselves apart, those that are only half measures like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness fade into the background with other superhero adaptations.
The stable of characters that DC has also gives them the opportunity to bring lesser-known characters to the big screen, rather than endlessly adapt the same characters over and over. Man-Bat, Solomon Grundy, Killer Croc, and others could work in a horror setting, their stories making for effective horror with unique scare potential. These films enable DC to be more agile, as they’re not intended to build a larger universe, but can easily pivot to including these villains in a future Batman story and fans would already have a strong connection to.
DC Studios desperately needed a win after Supergirl flopped earlier this year, and while Clayface’s opening doesn’t immediately provide that, it should give them the confidence to adapt other characters in the genre. Horror has cemented itself as a cheaper genre that still allows studios to create cult classics and big hits, and it allows for superhero movies to be smaller, more focused on the titular character, rather than feeling the need to create big effects-heavy action sequences.
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Kieran Burt
Writer
Kieran is a freelance writer, covering entertainment news. He loves everything about the cinema - especially when it comes to Star Wars and the box office.
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