Tag: clayface

DC took a chance on Clayface. This weekend we will see how the body horror does at the box office

Maybe the best decision was in October release, it’s currently at 75% favorability on Rotten Tomatoes..

We’re about to see what a horror movie somewhat reminiscent of The Fly can do at the box office, and perhaps more importantly, whether Batman fans who have loved the villain Clayface for years will actually go see a movie about him without the Caped Crusader himself!

DC is about to give us a full-fledged body horror film, and it’s certainly an interesting experiment. Clayface releases this week, and some of the more optimistic predictions have the film potentially bringing in $30 to $40 million during its opening weekend, although other forecasts are a bit more conservative. With a reported production budget of around $40 million, DC is certainly hoping the movie can eventually break even and extend well beyond those numbers. Of course, making back the production budget at the box office doesn’t necessarily mean a movie has turned a profit, but a strong opening would be a pretty good start.

Early reactions heavily promoted by DC were overwhelmingly favorable, with some comparisons being made to David Cronenberg’s The Fly. But once the actual review embargo was lifted, a few mixed bags were thrown into the equation. The movie currently sits at around 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, which certainly isn’t terrible. In fact, that’s a respectable score for a film taking a comic book villain into some pretty grotesque horror territory…

And being released in October, perhaps the perfect time for a horror flick, certainly doesn’t hurt its chances. The real question is whether the advertising blitz and all that early excitement will resonate with enough people to get them into theater seats. There’s also the question of whether the movie, even if successful during its opening weekend, can maintain that momentum into Halloween weekend itself. A strong opening is one thing. Getting people to keep showing up after the initial excitement wears off is something else entirely.

For a lot of people, including longtime Batman fans, this movie has been anticipated for quite a while, especially since those early production photos and teaser trailers started making the rounds. Clayface is certainly one of the more fascinating villains in Batman’s universe, and the decision to give him his own horror movie rather than another traditional superhero outing is a gamble that could pay off.

But will audiences embrace a movie about a Batman villain without Batman? Will horror fans who couldn’t care less about comic books show up simply because they want to see a good body horror flick? And will all those glowing early reactions translate into actual ticket sales?

Now it’s now or never for Clayface, and in some ways, it’s do or die for this particular DC experiment. If it succeeds, perhaps we’ll see more comic book characters getting their own horror treatments instead of the same old superhero formulas we’ve become accustomed to. If it fails, Hollywood will undoubtedly have another reason to question whether audiences really want something different after all.

Let’s see how the film does, how audiences react, and whether Clayface can mold himself into a box-office success. After all, the character can change his appearance into just about anything he wants. The one thing he can’t do is change the box-office numbers once they’re in.

Clayface is definitely a horror movie now..

Clayface is definitely a horror movie now..

If there were any doubts those are now gone..

Clayface is Rated ‘R’ for “strong bloody violence, gore, language, some nudity and brief drug use.”

Clayface brings horror to the DC Universe in theaters on October 23.

Tom Rhys Harries stars in the title role of the cult favorite villain from Gotham’s rogues gallery

Why the sad face when we’re going to get a clay face

This is the exact vibe a lot of people were hoping for with the new CLAYFACE trailer..

The excitement is real right now. A brand new trailer dropped today for Clayface, and it’s got people talking in a big way.

This isn’t your typical DC rollout either. The film is directed by James Watkins and stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, a disfigured actor who undergoes a transformation that turns him into something far more terrifying than anyone expected. The budget is reportedly around $40 million, which is actually pretty modest by superhero standards… but in a weird way, that almost adds to the intrigue. This feels less like a blockbuster and more like a calculated risk. A horror-driven swing inside the DC universe.
And you can feel that immediately in the trailer.


What we’re seeing is full-on body horror. Clayface appears with what looks like bandages wrapping around his face like a mummy, cutting between strange flashbacks and moments that feel completely ungrounded. Then there’s that final shot… his face looks human for a split second before he swipes it downward like a glitchy computer program and it just dissolves into nothing. It’s unsettling in a way that DC hasn’t really leaned into before. This isn’t just dark… it’s uncomfortable.


What makes this even more interesting is that it doesn’t appear to be directly tied to Batman. From everything out there right now, Batman isn’t expected to actually show up. That said, this is still Gotham, and you can almost guarantee the presence will be felt through references, atmosphere, and the world itself. Honestly, that might be the smarter move. Let Clayface stand on his own and let the horror breathe.


And speaking of that… the timing couldn’t be better. An October release puts this right in the heart of Halloween season, and if DC plays this right with a steady rollout of trailers throughout the year, the hype could build in a very real way. This has the chance to pull in not just comic fans, but horror fans too… and that’s a lane DC hasn’t fully owned yet.


I’ll be honest, though… part of my excitement comes from something a little more personal. I’ve always liked Clayface. Going back to playing as him in Lego Batman: The Videogame on the Wii and Wii U, he was this big, goofy, fun character. Not the main villain, not the most popular… but memorable. And now seeing that same character turned into something this disturbing and serious… it’s kind of wild in the best way. It taps into that nostalgia but flips it on its head.


The movie looks great. It looks scary. And yeah… that $40 million budget might be a little scary too when you start thinking about box office expectations. It’s way too early to know how this thing is going to perform, but if the tone lands and the marketing keeps building like this, don’t be surprised if this ends up being one of the more talked-about DC releases in a long time.


This might be the one that quietly changes everything.

CLAYFACE movies closer to a Halloween release

‘DC is moving into the horror world at the box office with a comic book horror movie Clayface..

That movie had been set for theatrical release via Warner Bros. on September 11, 2026.

Clayface will now release in theaters on October 23, 2026.

A lot of people didn’t really even know this was being made.. The movie is being compared to David Cronenberg’s The Fly and centers on an actor who injects himself with a substance to remain relevant, only to find out that he can reshape his face and form, becoming a walking piece of clay.

And the best part of all? It is a Mike Flanagan project! He did the screen play.. Even James Gunn said that he was not changing the sreenplay and he was a Flanagan fan himself.

But why isn’t Flanagan at the helm? Being too busy..

Flanagan’s commitment to other projects, including his take on Carrie, ultimately forced him to step back just as DC Studios was ready to fast-track the movie..

Back in November 2025, SCREEN RANT talked to Flanagan.. Flanagan said he was inspired by Batman: The Animated Series, specifically the two-part episode “Feat of Clay,” featuring Ron Perlman as the voice of the tragic villain.

“No, when we first started talking about Clayface, I hadn’t seen what Matt [Reeves] was up to. So it went all the way back to ‘Feat of Clay’, that incredible two-parter with Ron Perlman voicing the character, which was so formative for me as a kid,” Flanagan told Screen Rant.