DC's 'Clayface' Surpasses $46.5M Opening

Moviegoers spent more on the new DC Studios horror film this weekend than on any other release. The film, titled Clayface, generated $46.5 million globally during its opening three days. That total exceeds the $44 million production budget. The strong numbers allow the studio to avoid a financial loss before the picture enters its second week of theatrical play.

Director James Watkins attributed the success to the audience response. While critics gave the film a 75 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, verified moviegoers rated it 94 percent. The picture also secured an A- CinemaScore. Watkins described the rating as an extreme rarity for the horror genre. He said the reception provides a happy ending to a challenging production process.

Watkins pitched the project to DC Studios co-chairs James Gunn and Peter Safran using a description from original screenwriter Mike Flanagan. Flanagan labeled his draft a tragedy in three acts. Watkins expanded on that concept, focusing on the devolution of Matt Hagen, a character played by Tom Rhys Harries. Harries was recently nominated for an Oscar. Watkins noted that his body-horror ideas made Gunn wince, which helped secure the director's job.

The production faced personal difficulties for Watkins. During post-production, he learned that his father, Dr. George Watkins CBE, had died suddenly. Gunn and Safran gave Watkins time to handle the family loss. Watkins recalled that the executives were kind during a period when the film still needed to be finished. The studio recently granted similar flexibility to producer Matt Reeves during his own family crisis.

Behind the scenes, lead actor Tom Rhys Harries hid a torn ACL injury from the crew. He concealed the injury until filming a sequence where his character is hit by a car. Watkins said the team adjusted the stunt to prevent a lifelong injury. Harries still completed the jump and fall. Watkins emphasized that knowing about the injury beforehand would not have changed his casting decision.

The plot centers on Hagen, who undergoes an experimental procedure using AI nanocells to repair facial damage. The treatment causes side effects when he experiences negative emotions. His face melts at a movie premiere, leading him to overdose on the treatment in a lab. He transforms into a shapeshifter and seeks revenge at a nightclub owned by the mobster who disfigured him. Watkins co-wrote the final revisions with Hossein Amini to heighten the emotional payoff.

Watkins said the team aimed to let audiences enjoy the satisfaction of vengeance before the story takes a tragic turn. Hagen murders Detective John Borelli, who was trying to secure legal justice for him. Watkins explained that the nanobots create a reverse Florence Nightingale effect, making Hagen obsessed with the doctor who treated him. The director stated that Hagen acts out of a mix of self-defense, love, and obsession by the end of the film.