Clayface opened in theaters this weekend with $24 million in North America and $19 million internationally. This is below DC Studios' expectations, as Variety confirms that the studio had expected a $25 million to $35 million start in the U.S. Overseas, the hope was that it would kick off its run with $20 million to $25 million.
The movie cost $44 million to produce, though there's still no word on how much was spent on marketing. Regardless, with a $43 million global bow, Clayface has nearly matched its production budget in one weekend (for context, to account for marketing and theater revenue splits, the movie needs roughly $80 million to $100 million worldwide to actually achieve that).
Exhibitor Relations Co.'s Jeff Bock, one of the most trusted box office analysts in the field, has caused quite a stir on social media today by likening Clayface's opening weekend to Morbius.
Writing that "the DC brand itself is in a freefall," Bock added, "You know what really sucks: even Morbius opened with $39M." Later stating that DC is "flailing," he responded to fans who felt he was being unfair on the movie by explaining:
"The budget isn’t really a point worth defending in regards to Clayface. Listen, even Morbius debuted with $39M. Clayface, which is drawn from one of the biggest IP brands in the world, dropped with $15M less than Sony's horror spinoff."
"A lower budget may limit the financial damage, but in no way does it create audience demand. And that's the point. Choosing Clayface as the DCU’s third film was the misstep. Oh, and making 3 out of 4 set in the Superman universe. Yes, the DC brand is in trouble. What's new?"
Is it a fair comparison? I caught some flak for concluding my review by saying, "[Clayface] should have been a game-changer for the genre; instead, it's DC's Morbius moment." Bock's remarks, while harsh for a movie that's received glowing audience scores, are not factually incorrect.
Morbius opened to $39 million domestically against a $75 million production budget, while Clayface debuted with $24 million against a $44 million budget. That's roughly 52% vs. 55% of their respective budgets in opening-weekend U.S. grosses. The openings were different sizes, but proportionally, the same.
The biggest difference is that Clayface has received vastly better reviews from both critics and fans. Provided that translates to ticket sales next weekend, then the R-rated DCU movie can shrug off these comparisons and ultimately turn a tidy profit for DC Studios. For more on how it can achieve that, read our previous breakdown here.