Warner Bros. may finally have its first significant box office success in more than a year with DC Studios’ “Clayface,” which is off to a promising start with a $24 million domestic and $43 million global opening weekend.
Unlike most comic book movies, this body horror film centered around one of Batman’s foes is budgeted like a New Line horror film with a reported production spend of around $40 million. It’s also getting strong audience reception with an A- on CinemaScore and 4.5/5 on PostTrak, putting it in position to have a strong second weekend hold as a Halloween offering and possibly leg out until November.
It has been a very rough 2026 for Warner Bros. with high profile bombs like “Supergirl” and “Digger,” and even well received films like “The End of Oak Street” haven’t moved the needle. To date, the studio has not released a film that has grossed more than $250 million worldwide this year.
“Clayface” may not cross that threshold, but it should be a solid mid-budget success as Warner’s first film released under Skydance ownership, leading into an end-of-year slate that includes “The Cat in the Hat” and the highly anticipated “Dune: Part Three.”
In second place is A24’s “You Can See Everything,” which is on course to become one of the highest grossing documentaries of all time after an excellent $19.5 million second weekend that marks a 23% increase from its opening weekend after a nationwide expansion to 2,655 locations.
With $45 million grossed domestically so far, “You Can See Everything” will pass Lance Oppenheim’s other A24 release this fall, “Primetime,” which has grossed $46.4 million through Sunday. If it keeps up this extraordinary pace, it may also soon outpace A24’s winter hit “Marty Supreme,” which grossed $96 million domestic over the holiday period last year.
In third is Fathom/Laika’s “Wildwood,” the latest stop-motion animated film from Travis Knight, which earned an $11.6 million domestic opening weekend from 2,582 locations. That’s just a step below the $12.6 million opening of Laika’s last film, “Kubo and the Two Strings,” in 2016.
With a PG-13 rating stemming from multiple death scenes, including a violent final battle, “Wildwood” is going to have a limited reach with family audiences even as it has earned critical and audience acclaim with a 100% critics and 97% audience Rotten Tomatoes score and an A on CinemaScore.
With a production budget said to rival or even exceed those of Disney and Pixar’s animated tentpoles, “Wildwood” is not going to be a theatrically profitable film like any of Laika’s films save for its 2009 debut title, “Coraline.” But with the continued financial backing from Knight’s father, Nike CEO Phil Knight, Laika is likely to continue making art for art’s sake.
In fourth is Paramount/Legendary’s “Street Fighter,” which has plummeted 72% to $8.6 million in its second weekend. With a limp $79.6 million worldwide against a production budget of at least $82 million before marketing, this won’t be a theatrically profitable film for Paramount or Legendary, the latter of which co-financed this title alongside “Street Fighter” publishers Capcom.
Rounding out the top 5 is Black Bear’s “Wicker,” a Sundance-acquired fantasy romcom staring Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgard as a bitter village outcast and her dreamy husband made entirely out of wicker. Acquired by Black Bear for $2.5 million, the film has earned a solid $5.75 million domestic opening from 1,471 locations.
With strong audience scores including a 94% audience RT score and a 74% “definite recommend” rating on PostTrak, “Wicker” stands to be the first significant theatrical success for Black Bear as a U.S. distributor, having launched its domestic distribution wing last year. In a nod to the film’s humorous take on steamy fantasy romance, Black Bear has even partnered with 4DX for a one-day-only screening of the film in the moving-seat premium format on Oct. 28.
Farther down the charts, Disney/20th Century Studios’ “Whalefall” is sinking incredibly fast with just $3.2 million grossed in its second weekend despite generally positive audience reception, leaving the $60 million survival thriller with a two-weekend global cume of just $31.3 million. It’s a mid-budget bomb that Disney will have to settle for recouping with the upcoming potential all-time record breaking blockbuster “Avengers: Doomsday” in December.
And then there is Sony’s “Klara and the Sun,” a dystopian sci-fi film directed by Taika Waititi and starring Jenna Ortega that has earned an abysmal $725,000 from 880 locations. Produced by 3000 Pictures and Spyglass, the film has received negative reviews from critics with a 25% Rotten Tomatoes score and looks like it will swiftly leave theaters with a per theater average of just $823.
In limited release, Netflix’s “La Bola Negra” has expanded to nine locations in its second weekend, grossing $245,000 for a per theater average of $27,222 and a limited release total of $650,104.
Neon expanded Palme D’Or winner “Fjord” to 107 locations, grossing $333,000 for a total of $694,000 after three weekends. Neon has also taken over distribution of the acclaimed investigative doc “NAZA,” which has crossed the $1 million mark as it plays in 73 locations.
More to come…