Clayface is on track to win the weekend. Deadline’s headline puts the R-rated DC horror film at No. 1 with about $23 million, just ahead of A24’s expanding documentary You Can See Everything at about $19 million. That Clayface box office number is an early estimate based on Friday business, so expect it to move when Sunday’s studio reports arrive. Here is what the numbers say, how they compare with forecasts, and who else is fighting for screens.
Clayface Box Office: The Early Numbers
The film started with an estimated $3.5 million in Thursday previews. Reporting from World of Reel puts the domestic weekend at $20 million to $23 million and the worldwide opening at about $45 million, against a production budget of $44 million. Deadline’s weekend headline lands at the top of that range, at roughly $23 million.
Forecasts before previews were wider. BoxOffice Pro projected $25 million to $30 million. Our Clayface tracking post laid out why pre-release numbers split between $23 million and under $20 million. If the estimate holds, Clayface lands inside the tracking range but below the BoxOffice Pro forecast.
| Source | Clayface domestic weekend |
|---|---|
| BoxOffice Pro forecast | $25M-$30M |
| World of Reel (after previews) | $20M-$23M |
| Deadline headline estimate | about $23M |
Is $23 Million a Win for a Hard-R DC Horror Film?
It depends on the yardstick. Against a $44 million budget, a $23 million domestic start and $45 million worldwide opening is respectable, not spectacular. BoxOffice Pro noted that releasing a hard-R, Batman-less solo-villain movie without the benefit of earlier versions is a counterintuitive bet, which is why a No. 1 finish matters for the studio’s confidence.
The warning signs to watch are Saturday’s audience grade and the second-weekend drop. Horror often opens big and falls fast. Our post on Clayface first reactions covered the gory praise for lead actor Tom Rhys Harries and the open question of whether it would translate to ticket sales.
You Can See Everything: A24’s Documentary Keeps Surprising
The Elizabeth Holmes documentary opened to $15.6 million last weekend on just 855 screens, with more than 2,000 sellouts, according to BoxOffice Pro. It expands to roughly 2,500 to 2,600 theaters on Friday, with Thursday grosses of about $2.2 million. About 70% of the opening audience was under 35.
BoxOffice Pro’s forecast for the film’s second weekend was $15 million to $20 million, and Deadline’s headline puts it near $19 million. That would be a strong second weekend for a film that is more than doubling its theater count; BoxOffice Pro cited Fahrenheit 9/11, which fell 32% in its second weekend after a similar expansion, as a comparison. Read our earlier coverage of the documentary’s surprise No. 2 opening.
A close finish is possible. Because the two films are only a few million dollars apart in early estimates, the order could change when Sunday’s actuals arrive.
Street Fighter Falls, and Other Weekend Numbers
Street Fighter opened to $30.77 million last weekend. Comparable video-game adaptations fell hard in their second weekends, with Mortal Kombat II down 65% and Masters of the Universe down 69%. BoxOffice Pro’s forecast for Street Fighter is $8 million to $13 million. See our opening weekend recap.
New and smaller releases
- Wicker (Black Bear): $620,000 in previews from 1,471 locations.
- Wildwood (Laika, via Fathom): about $1 million in previews and a best-case weekend of $8 million to $9 million, on a budget reported above $100 million. It holds a 100% critics score and 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, so word of mouth may help it later.
- Klara and the Sun (Sony): only $85,000 in previews, with theaters cut from about 1,900 to roughly 800 on a budget of about $20 million.
How to Read Weekend Box Office Estimates
Weekend numbers published before Monday are estimates. Studios report actuals on Monday, and totals can shift by hundreds of thousands of dollars, which matters when two films are this close. Preview figures include Thursday evening shows only, and walk-up business on Friday and Saturday is what fills in the rest. For a deeper explanation of preview multiples, see our earlier tracking guide.
What to Watch Next
- Sunday estimates: They decide the No. 1 and No. 2 order.
- CinemaScore: A weak grade usually predicts a steep second-weekend fall for horror.
- International numbers: A worldwide opening near $45 million would help the budget math.
- Wildwood’s legs: Strong reviews could matter more than its opening.
If you plan to see Clayface, expect busy Saturday-night shows; Sunday matinees are usually quieter. Check back Monday when actuals replace estimates. Sources include Deadline, Box Office Pro, World of Reel and Box Office Theory.
Last updated Oct. 24, 2026. Figures are early estimates and will be revised.
