Warner Bros. and DC Studios captured the top spot at the North American box office over the October 23–25 weekend with the R-rated horror release Clayface, which earned an estimated $24 million across 3,458 theaters. While the comic book adaptation led the domestic chart and reached a $43 million global opening, its debut was nearly matched by A24's three-hour Elizabeth Holmes documentary You Can See Everything. Expanding into wide release for its second weekend, the nonfiction feature brought in $19.5 million from 2,655 venues, turning the late-October frame into an unexpected race between a dark franchise experiment and a breakout documentary hit.

A Calculated Horror Pivot for DC Studios

Directed by James Watkins and starring Tom Rhys Harries, Clayface centers on Matt Hagen, a Gotham City street kid turned rising movie star whose career is derailed after a crime boss leaves him severely disfigured. Seeking an experimental medical procedure to restore his appearance, Hagen instead loses his grip on reality in a bloody, body-horror narrative. The project marks the third theatrical release for DC Studios under co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran, representing a deliberate tonal and financial shift away from traditional superhero blockbusters.

While the weekend total secured first place, early domestic tracking showed slight variations depending on the outlet. According to Variety and the Associated Press via ABC News, Clayface opened with $24 million domestically—just below pre-release studio projections of $25 million to $35 million—while Get Your Comic On and Forbes cited early domestic estimates of $24.5 million against initial $25 million studio targets.

Internationally, the film added $19 million across 76 territories to reach its $43 million worldwide haul. Top overseas markets included the United Kingdom with $2.6 million, Mexico between $1.4 million and $1.9 million, Australia with $1.3 million, and France with $1.2 million. Other notable international contributions came from Brazil ($879,000), Italy ($873,000), Spain ($721,000), the United Arab Emirates ($626,000), Germany ($593,000), South Korea ($589,000), Saudi Arabia ($561,000), and Taiwan ($404,000).

Despite an opening that would be considered modest for a standard superhero tentpole, Clayface is well-positioned financially due to its $44 million production budget. That figure represents a fraction of recent DC theatrical outlays. Earlier in July 2026, Supergirl struggled at the box office, grossing $126 million globally against a $170 million production budget—with total production and marketing expenses reaching at least $270 million, as noted by The Independent. That disappointment followed 2025's Superman, which grossed $618 million worldwide on a $225 million budget, alongside streaming successes like HBO Max's Peacemaker and Lanterns.

"Over the years, there have been a dozen spinoffs of superhero villains and antiheroes, from 'Joker' to 'Venom' to 'Kraven the Hunter,'" said David A. Gross, publisher of the box office newsletter FranchiseRe. "This picture was wisely conceived as something different, costing a fraction of what those films cost."

Audiences responded favorably to the genre hybrid, awarding Clayface an "A-" grade on CinemaScore exit polls—an unusually high mark for an R-rated horror release. Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Rentrak, noted that the film 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."

A24's Documentary Phenomenon Defies Box Office Norms

While DC stabilized its theatrical slate, the weekend's standout commercial story belonged to A24's You Can See Everything. Directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, the three-hour documentary begins 34 days before disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes surrendered to the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, to serve an 11-year sentence following her conviction on four counts of fraud and conspiracy regarding her biotech company's blood-testing technology.

Produced on a reported $7 million budget, the film first launched on October 16 in a limited footprint of 855 theaters, earning $15.6 million to set the best opening for a nonmusical documentary in 20 years. For its second weekend—and its first frame in wide release—A24 more than tripled its theatrical footprint to 2,655 locations. Ticket sales jumped roughly 25% to 28% from its debut to reach $19.5 million, pushing its two-week domestic cumulative total to $45.1 million.

The rapid surge has already made You Can See Everything the highest-grossing nonmusical documentary since Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 in 2004, largely fueled by strong turnout from Gen Z moviegoers and sold-out screenings on both coasts. "Opening 'You Can See Everything' in 855 theaters was a really smart move, allowing the film to establish itself and build momentum before going much wider," Dergarabedian said. "The fact that we're seeing a documentary deliver such a significant second-weekend increase is remarkable."

Gross also highlighted the project's cultural resonance, stating that "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."

Holdovers and New Releases Round Out the Chart

Beyond the top two contenders, the remainder of the domestic box office saw a mix of specialty debuts and steep second-weekend drops:

  • Wildwood: The latest stop-motion animated feature from Portland, Oregon-based studio Laika debuted in third place. Directed by Laika CEO Travis Knight, the story of a teenage girl searching an enchanted forest for her kidnapped brother earned $11.8 million across 2,779 locations according to Associated Press estimates (or $11 million per early tracking in The Independent). While backed by strong critical reviews, the film faces a high hurdle to profitability given its reported $100 million production cost.
  • Street Fighter: Last weekend's No. 1 title, Paramount Pictures' video game adaptation, tumbled 72% in its sophomore frame to collect $8.6 million. Made for roughly $80 million, the release has grossed $46.9 million domestically over two weeks.
  • Wicker: The romantic fantasy starring Olivia Colman as a lonely fisherwoman who commissions a basket maker to weave her a husband (played by Alexander Skarsgard) brought in $6 million.
  • Klara and the Sun: The sci-fi novel adaptation starring Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams struggled in its initial rollout, earning just $725,000 across 880 theaters.

What This Means for the Industry and Awards Season

The late-October box office results highlight two distinct strategic wins for theatrical distribution. For Warner Bros. and DC Studios, Clayface proves that mid-budget genre experiments can offer reliable paths to profitability without requiring massive four-quadrant global returns. By keeping production costs at $44 million and leaning into R-rated body horror during the Halloween season, the studio insulated itself from the financial risks that plagued bigger-budget tentpoles earlier in the year.

For A24, the platform-to-wide rollout of You Can See Everything has transformed a nonfiction feature into a major theatrical event and a serious awards contender. Industry commentators and awards analysts are now projecting that the Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim project could become the first documentary in Academy Awards history to secure a nomination for Best Picture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will final studio-reported figures change the gap between 'Clayface' and 'You Can See Everything'?

Final domestic numbers are released on Monday following weekend studio estimates. While minor adjustments are possible—such as early projections fluctuating between $24 million and $24.5 million for Clayface—the roughly $4.5 million to $5 million buffer between the DC release and A24's $19.5 million documentary haul ensures the top rankings will remain intact.

How will the opening weekend of 'Clayface' affect its path to profitability?

Although the $24 million domestic debut landed slightly below the studio's pre-release expectations of $25 million to $35 million, the film's modest $44 million production budget puts it in a strong financial position. Combined with its $19 million international start ($43 million globally) and a strong "A-" CinemaScore from audiences, the horror entry is expected to hold well through the Halloween window.

How does the box office run of 'You Can See Everything' compare to historical documentaries?

With a $45.1 million domestic cumulative total after just two weekends in theaters, You Can See Everything already ranks as the highest-grossing nonmusical documentary since Fahrenheit 9/11 in 2004, following a $15.6 million limited debut that marked the biggest start for a nonfiction nonmusical film in two decades.

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