Clayface has turned things around for DCU in the blink of an eye. For a film made on just $44 million, Clayface has had quite the opening weekend. Its $43 million debut came remarkably close to covering the entire production budget in just three days. Of course, the movie still needs to account for marketing and distribution expenses, with its estimated break-even point around $110 million. But it has already made a promising start toward getting into the black. However, Clayface has an unexpected challenger at the box office.

Elizabeth Holmes’ documentary is giving Clayface a competition at the domestic box office.

A24’s documentary becomes an unlikely rival to Clayface

In a surprisingly close box-office race during the Halloween weekend, A24’s You Can See Everything managed to get ahead of Clayface by a mere $200,000. The Elizabeth Holmes documentary added $10.6 million to its domestic earnings, taking its cumulative total to $63.9 million. Clayface followed closely with $10.4 million, bringing its North American gross to $44.1 million. Clayface has found plenty of takers beyond North America, too.

The DC horror film earned $22.8 million globally over the Halloween weekend, led by a $6.1 million haul from the UK and Ireland. Australia and Mexico have each contributed $2.5 million, while France has added $2.4 million to its international earnings. Nonetheless, despite the minor domestic box office setback, Clayface has single-handedly rescued James Gunn’s new DC Universe from early franchise collapse. 

The DCU has had a difficult time getting back on its feet after Supergirl, but things may finally be starting to look up for the studio.

Clayface is rewriting the rules of the superhero genre

The newly launched DCU desperately needed a win after Supergirl. The expensive superhero film reportedly cost the studio more than $100 million in losses, raising questions about the franchise’s theatrical future. Clayface, however, managed to change the conversation. Rather than relying on a massive blockbuster budget, the horror film kept production costs relatively low and brought in over $80 million worldwide in its first week. Suddenly, the DCU had something to feel good about.

Also, by earning a 94% audience score, Clayface gave skeptical fans a reason to believe that the DCU was not simply another corporate assembly line churning out interconnected superhero movies. By telling a self-contained story without Batman or the usual caped-crusader baggage, the film proved that the studio could take creative risks. It also brought James Gunn’s promise of a more filmmaker-driven, genre-diverse DCU closer to reality.

What do you think about Clayface‘s domestic box office performance? Let us know in the comments!