DC’s ‘Clayface’ Runtime Is Locked In, and It Matches ‘Supergirl’ Exactly

DC Studios has spent much of 2026 trying to convince audiences that its new universe can do more than capes and sunshine. ‘Clayface’ is the boldest test yet, a body-horror story about one of Batman’s oldest villains, directed by James Watkins from a script co-written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini. It is an R-rated swing that looks nothing like a typical superhero release.

Marketing has leaned into that identity, with a poster showing a man’s face melting into blood-red clay above a tiny hooded figure and a Gotham skyline. Since the film opens on October 23, the questions about how it will play have shifted from concept to specifics. One of the biggest is how long the movie will actually run.

That question now has an answer. On September 30, The Hollywood Handle shared on X that DC Studios’ ‘Clayface’ has a final runtime of 1 hour and 48 minutes, noting it matches ‘Supergirl’.

The figure comes from an AMC Theatres listing, which shows the film at 108 minutes with an R rating. It is slightly shorter than the 1 hour and 53 minutes reported earlier. Runtime talk has swirled for months, with a scooper claiming about 1 hour and 50 minutes in June, another report saying 110 minutes, and a more recent rumor pointing to about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

The number stands out in a genre known for bloat. At 108 minutes, ‘Clayface’ ties ‘Supergirl’ as the shortest film in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe. It is also 21 minutes shorter than ‘Superman’, according to MovieWeb.

DC Studios ‘CLAYFACE’ final runtime is of 1 hour & 48 minutes. The same as ‘Supergirl.’ https://t.co/Ve67CcHRC3

— The Hollywood Handle (@HollywoodHandle) September 30, 2026

Comic Basics noted that the runtime lands just under ‘Birds of Prey’, which ran 109 minutes, and well below the 2 hours and 2 minutes of ‘Joker’ and the 2 hours and 18 minutes of ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’. Only a handful of DC films have run shorter, including ‘Jonah Hex’ at 81 minutes. Some observers see the tight length as an advantage, since a shapeshifting villain built on heavy visual effects is easier to sustain over a compact runtime.

The shared length with ‘Supergirl’ is a fun coincidence, though ComicBookMovie.com pointed out that it doesn’t really mean much. Fans hoping ‘Clayface’ has little else in common with that film will find plenty of differences in tone alone.

New trailer for ‘Clayface’

In theaters on October 23 pic.twitter.com/QHWw9bnvev

— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) July 22, 2026

The film follows Matt Hagen, a Gotham street kid turned Hollywood leading man whose life falls apart after a crime boss’s actions leave him horribly disfigured. Abandoned and desperate, he turns to a cutting-edge treatment that restores his appearance but also loosens his grip on reality, sending him toward all-consuming revenge. The official description frames it as a story about lost identity, corrosive love, and the dark side of scientific ambition.

Tom Rhys Harries plays the title role, with Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella, and Eddie Marsan rounding out the cast. Matt Reeves, Lynn Harris, Gunn, and Safran are producing. Reports have also pegged the budget at $40 million and said early test screenings received positive reactions for the film’s dark character-study approach.

For a studio still shaping its identity, a short and stylized horror film is a smart way to stand apart. A brisk running time suggests confidence in the material and a willingness to avoid padding. It also signals that DC is comfortable letting individual projects feel different rather than forcing one house style.

Whether audiences respond to a Gotham story with a monster at its center remains to be seen. But with the runtime now confirmed and the release date approaching, the conversation is finally moving from rumor to what actually lands on screen.

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