DC’s ‘Clayface’ Is Having a Rough Time in Europe, and the Numbers Aren’t Subtle

Every studio hopes the overseas rollout warms up a film before it hits North America, building momentum and headlines ahead of the main event. For DC Studios’ first horror experiment, the early international window has done the opposite. The ‘Clayface’ Europe box office picture has become the story going into its domestic debut.

The premise behind the release was sound enough. James Watkins’ R-rated body horror take on the Batman villain arrived right before Halloween in a year when horror has pulled in more than $1.1 billion domestically, with ‘Obsession’, ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Resident Evil’ all proving the appetite is there.

The continent hasn’t responded. ‘Clayface’ began its overseas rollout on October 21 across a footprint of 76 territories, and 2 of Europe’s biggest markets have now reported opening-day figures that fall well short of expectations.

The Italian result is the one drawing attention. The film placed 7th on its opening day with €36,924 from 4,907 spectators, averaging just €246 across 150 cinemas. The titles ahead of it make the position worse.

Local comedy ‘Je so’ pazzo’ led with €167,536, a ‘Trainspotting’ re-release took second with €141,491, and ‘L’estranea’ landed third, with ‘Carlo Acutis. Il giovane Santo’, ‘Mammina’ and ‘Primetime’ also finished above the DC release.

New posters for DC’s ‘CLAYFACE’. In theaters on October 23. https://t.co/2DA3HTeKUQ

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 7, 2026

It barely held off the rest of the chart. ‘Clayface’ edged ‘Whalefall: Nella balena’ at €35,248 and ‘Naza’ at €34,881, neither of which carried comic book expectations. Box office watchers noted the figure represents roughly 6 percent of ‘Kraven the Hunter’s opening day, a film that finished with $62 million worldwide.

Across the border, the result was arguably more telling. ‘Clayface’ opened outside the French top 5 on October 21, missing a chart led by ‘Ducobu et le fantôme de Saint Potache’, with ‘Les Misérables’, ‘Mochy’, ‘Karma’ and ‘L’île des souvenirs’ filling out the rest.

The benchmark there is damning. ‘Supergirl’, widely considered DC’s weakest recent performer, had managed 4th place in France on its own opening. Age restrictions can’t explain it either. The film carries a 12 rating in France, meaning the audience pool was wide open.

The final trailer for DC’s ‘CLAYFACE’ has been released. In theaters on October 23. https://t.co/ecTMB97Sto

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 24, 2026

South Korea completed the picture earlier in the week. ‘Clayface’ debuted in third with just under 19,000 admissions, including early screenings, around $132,000, trailing a Japanese animated title and a local release while selling roughly half of ‘Supergirl’s opening-day tickets.

Variety had projected $20 million to $25 million from those 76 overseas markets, aiming for a global opening between $45 million and $55 million. The early returns suggest that range may be optimistic.

The strange part is that the film itself is landing well with critics. The review embargo lifted Wednesday with ‘Clayface’ debuting Fresh at 77% on Rotten Tomatoes, placing it among the better-received DC entries.

Domestic forecasts have wobbled regardless. Variety projected $25 million to $35 million, Boxoffice Pro had $25 million to $30 million, and Box Office Theory’s latest weekend forecast dropped to $15 million to $23 million.

There are small signs of life. Deadline reported presales picked up in the 2 days before release, and the gap behind ‘Supergirl’ narrowed to 62 percent from roughly 80 percent a week earlier.

The budget keeps this from being a disaster. ‘Clayface’ cost a reported $40 million, a fraction of ‘Supergirl’s at least $170 million, though standard industry math puts break-even near $100 million worldwide.

That makes the European softness genuinely consequential rather than cosmetic. As the first Warner Bros. release under Skydance ownership, the film is carrying expectations of profit, not survival.

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