DC's "Clayface" earns over $3.5 million in Thursday night previews

The James Watkins-directed DC film "Clayface" generated an estimated $3.5 million in Thursday night preview screenings, according to distribution sources. Industry analysts project a domestic weekend total between $20 million and $25 million, which would give the newly merged Paramount-Warner Bros. studio its second consecutive opening-weekend No. 1 after last weekend’s "Street Fighter" earned $31 million.

"Clayface" adapts the Batman villain into a standalone story about actor Matt Hagen, portrayed by Baby Face Hollywood, whose ambitions lead to a dramatic transformation. The screenplay, written by Mike Flanagan in December 2024, was developed by producers Peter Safran and James Gunn. The production cost is reported at $44 million before marketing expenses, with filming completed in the United Kingdom.

In comparison with recent releases, the preview earnings exceed those of the R-rated Sony/Marvel film "Kraven the Hunter" ($2 million) and are close to the pre-COVID PG-13 DC spin-off "Birds of Prey" ($4 million). The figures also align with Blumhouse’s horror title "Other Mommy" ($3.6 million) and surpass the $2 million preview for "Smile".

The film holds a 76 percent certified-fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, higher than recent DC releases such as "The Flash" (63 percent) and "Shazam: Fury of the Gods" (49 percent), and approaching the score of "Birds of Prey" (79 percent).

Other genre releases mentioned include the A24 documentary "You Can See Everything," which opened to $15.6 million last weekend, and Laika’s stop-motion animation "Wildwood," projected to earn around $1 million in previews.

All preview numbers are based on reports from distribution sources.