Clayface Just $5M Away From Key Box Office Milestone Supergirl Never Reached

Published Nov 1, 2026, 11:34 AM EST Brennan Klein (he/him) is a senior news writer at Screen Rant, host of the Attack of the Queerwolf podcast, and contributor at Alternate Ending and Horror Press. He has been writing and podcasting about pop culture (especially horror movies) for over a decade at platforms including Blumhouse, Fangoria, Dread Central, The Backlot, and Arrow in the Head. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Clayface is withstanding the heat at the box office. The new R-rated body horror movie is the third installment in the newly rebranded DC Universe, following the 2025 James hit Superman and its spinoff, 2026's Supergirl, which was a theatrical flop. 2026's Clayface shakes up the franchise, focusing on the rise of the titular DC villain, Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), after an experimental procedure turns his flesh into clay and derails his burgeoning acting career. The movie debuted at No. 1 at the domestic box office during the weekend of October 23 and is projected to drop a relatively narrow 57% during its sophomore frame. Warner Bros. has officially announced that Clayface is projected to conclude its second weekend with a cumulative worldwide box office gross of $83 million, comprising $44.1 million from domestic theaters and an additional $38.9 million from international markets. This sees the movie coming within $5 million of doubling its reported $44 million budget. This is an achievement that Supergirl never managed to reach, as the 2026 DCU flop grossed just $126.4 million worldwide against a reported budget of $170 million or more. While the exact break-even point of Clayface is unknown, Hollywood tentpoles often need to earn back two and a half times their budgets in theaters. This means that its estimated break-even point is most likely somewhere around $110 million. Considering the fact that it has already surpassed the $80 million global milestone after just 10 days in theaters, it should be on track to hit that benchmark by the end of its run. Below, see a breakdown of the budget information and global performance of all three DCU movies: Title Budget Est. Break-Even Global Box Office Superman (2025) $225 million $562.5 million $618.7 million Supergirl (2026) $170-186 million $425-465 million $126.4 million Clayface (2026) $44 million $110 million $83 million (& counting) Thanks to its relatively low budget and the fact that Clayface reviews have earned it a Certified Fresh score of 77% on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie will most likely add another box office success to the roster of the growing franchise. However, it still remains to be seen if the DCU can get off the ground after Supergirl's underperformance. So far, they haven't scored a hugely profitable hit in theaters. Although their HBO series Lanterns is both a critical and commercial smash, even Superman, which is by far the highest-grossing theatrical installment, only earned 2.75 times its budget, failing to pass its break-even point by a particularly wide margin. The franchise's overall prospects will depend on the box office performance of their upcoming slate. The next installment to hit theaters will be the 2027 Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow. While the movie's budget is unknown, if it is at the same level as the original movie, it will need to avoid any sort of diminishing returns. If it doesn't break even, this could spell bad news for other in-development projects, including the Batman movie The Brave and the Bold and James Mangold's Swamp Thing. Regardless of the franchise's future prospects, Clayface should be able to secure its status as a success on its own terms. Additionally, if it does hit its estimated break-even point, it will become the sixth highest-grossing horror movie of the year, surpassing titles such as Lee Cronin's The Mummy ($90.5 million) and Other Mommy ($97.2 million). Enjoy ScreenRant's box office coverage? Click below to sign up for my weekly box office newsletter (make sure to check "Box Office" in your preferences) and get exclusive analysis, predictions, and more: Sign Up Release Date October 23, 2026 Runtime 108 Minutes Director James Watkins Writers Mike Flanagan, Hossein Amini Producers James Gunn, Lynn Harris, Matt Reeves, Peter Safran Cast Tom Rhys Harries Matt Hagen / Clayface Naomi Ackie Dr. Caitlin Bates