Clayface opened in theaters last weekend, and if audience scores are any indication, DC Studios delivered a winner (in terms of box office, it's far too soon to say; the movie should, however, break even at the very least).
Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima is widely considered a visionary and often shares his movie and TV show reviews on social media. They're typically either very detailed or simply an acknowledgement that he's seen something.
The latter often indicates that he didn't like a new release and implies that he'd rather say he's watched something than tear into a fellow creative's vision. Well, Kojima just got out of Clayface, and he had plenty to say about the DCU's first body horror.
"Watched 'Clayface.' I wasn’t familiar with the character from DC, but I enjoyed the film," he shared. "I’ve always loved the science fiction films of the 1950s and ’60s, particularly those about lonely men who gradually transform into something monstrous through scientific experiments, accidents, clinical trials, and the like."
"Richard Matheson’s novel 'The Shrinking Man' (1956), and films such as 'The Fly' (1958) and '4D Man' (1959). The facial disfigurement also reminded me of 'Eyes Without a Face' (1959), 'The Face of Another' (1966), and 'The Skin I Live In' (2011). As a body horror film, 'Clayface' will undoubtedly be compared to 'The Fly' (1986) and 'The Substance' (2024)."
"But this is the story of a method actor who can become anyone through his performances, only to suffer a disfiguring facial injury and eventually gain the extraordinary ability to physically transform into anyone," Kojima continued. "Whether you see it as the story of a man who takes his revenge and descends into villainy, or as a tragedy, changes the very face of the film."
It's an insightful review of the film, and one that points fans in the direction of some excellent movies of a similar vein. Kojima also reviewed Supergirl this year, though his take on that was more of a plot description than any sort of definitive verdict. Still, the iconic video game creator had plenty of praise to share for Superman last summer.
In terms of box office, You Can See Everything narrowly took the top spot in North America this weekend with $10.6 million compared to Clayface's $10.4 million (a 57% drop from its opening frame, which took its domestic cume to $44.1 million). This is neither a terrible nor amazing result; it's just okay.
However, at the international box office, Clayface made $12.4 million this weekend, which is a drop of only 34.7 million from its $19 million start. That takes it to $38.9 million overseas, and an $83 million global cume. The weeks ahead will ultimately decide whether the DC Studios movie is a hit, but it's eyeing a $130 million to $150 million global run, so it definitely isn't going to flop.
In Clayface, Matt Hagen’s meteoric rise from Gotham street kid to Hollywood leading man is tragically cut short when a local crime boss’s actions leave him horribly disfigured. Abandoned by his team and with nothing left, Matt seeks out a cutting-edge treatment that miraculously returns him to his former self, but also unexpectedly affects his grip on reality, spiralling him down a destructive path of all-consuming revenge.
The movie stars Tom Rhys Harries in the title role of the "cult-favourite" villain from Gotham's rogues' gallery. The cast includes Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan, as well as Nancy Carroll and Joshua James.
We concluded our Clayface review by saying, "Tom Rhys Harries shines in Clayface, an uninspired and unoriginal movie that's too light on horror and lacking in comic book personality to be anything but forgettable. It should have been a game-changer for the genre; instead, it's DC's Morbius moment."
Directed by James Watkins from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, Clayface is now playing in theaters.