DC Studios scored a modest, R-rated win with "Clayface,” landing a $24 million opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. But the biggest success story in theaters remained A24’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary "You Can See Everything,” which pulled in $19.5 million in its first weekend of wide release.
The Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim-directed "You Can See Everything” increased from 855 locations to 2,655. In expansion, it continued to blow away expectations. With $45.1 million in two weeks, it already ranks among the highest grossing documentaries ever.
"You Can See Everything” has turned into a sensation partly by drawing waves of Gen Z moviegoers. Its awards season prospects are also growing. If "You Can See Everything” is nominated for best picture at the Oscars, it would be the first documentary nominated for Hollywood's top prize.
"A24 invested a reported $7 million in an interesting but complicated idea without a beginning, middle or end, that’s turned into a zeitgeist film about money, dreams, truth and reality,” said David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe.
In 3,458 theaters, Warner Bros.’ "Clayface” narrowly edged the A24 release for first place. That’s a solid start for the Gotham City villain tale and the third theatrical release for DC under the stewardship of James Gunn and Peter Safran. A bid to meld body horror with a comic book movie, it stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, a rising movie star who undergoes an experimental facial surgery after a mob boss disfigures him.
While such an opening would have been a flop for most superhero films, "Clayface” was budgeted at only $44 million – a fraction of the expense of most comic book films. It added $19 million internationally.
That was enough to offer some stability, and assured profitability, to DC Studios following the disappointment of "Supergirl.” Earlier this year, that film grossed just $126 million worldwide on a $170 million production budget.
Audiences gave "Clayface” an "A-” CinemaScore, a high grade for a horror release. Reviews were also largely good. The competition for horror audiences can be fierce in October, but "Clayface” may end up the top genre draw of the month.
"Clayface is a great example of studios taking chances, with DC venturing into R-rated horror and body horror, something that’s certainly not your typical comic book movie,” said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Rentrak.
Last weekend’s top film, the video game adaptation "Street Fighter,” sank like a stone, dropping 72% with $8.6 million in its second weekend. The Paramount Pictures release, made for about $80 million, has grossed $46.9 million domestically in two weeks.
"Wildwood,” the latest stop-motion animated film from the Portland, Oregon-based studio Laika, debuted in third place with $11.8 million in 2,779 locations. The film, directed by Laika chief executive Travis Knight, rode excellent reviews and strong audience scores (an "A” CinemaScore) to a notable improvement over the studio’s previous release: 2019’s "The Missing Link” (a $5.9 million opening).
But "Wildwood” is still unlikely to generate a profit, given that it cost $100 million to make. The PG-13 fantasy follows a teenage girl who enters an enchanted forest to find her abducted baby brother.
"Wicker,” a comic fable starring Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård, launched with an excellent $5.8 million in 1,471 theaters. Acquired for $2.5 million out of Sundance by Black Bear Pictures, the well-reviewed "Wicker” is a quirky love story about a fisherwoman (Colman) who has the local basket maker weave her a husband (Skarsgård).
The weekend’s other new releases were either hard to find or little seen.
Taika Waititi’s critically panned "Klara and the Sun,” adapted from Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, made just $725,000 at 880 theaters for Sony Pictures.
Amazon MGM opted not to even report grosses for Sacha Baron Cohen's poorly received mockumentary "Ali G: Who Iz I?”
Though Cohen took the rare step of conducting numerous interviews as himself, and not in character, "Ali G: Who Iz I?” was almost absent on its opening weekend. The film's theatrical footprint was shrunk considerably as Cohen faced backlash in the U.K. over cultural appropriation and racial caricatures.