UPDATE: It seems Clayface was brought in with a significantly smaller budget than previous reports claimed and is now on track for a stronger opening weekend at the box office.
According to THR, the movie's production budget is actually $30 million, not $40M, and the latest box office estimates point to a $44 million global debut.
The gruesome horror movie's R rating will prevent it from reaching as wide a demographic as the previous DCU releases, but we've seen how well R-rated comic book movies (Joker, for example) can do when they find an audience.
Original article follows.
DC Studios has released an extended version of a recent Clayface clip, and the wince-inducing scene explains why the first DCU horror movie landed an 18 rating in the UK.
A film with an R rating in the US will usually get away with a 15 in Ireland and the United Kingdom, but an 18 is basically the equivalent of North America's much stricter NC-17.
The scene finds Matt Hagen starting to panic when his face begins to transform mid-flight. When his eyes close over, he makes his way to the lavatory and prepares to cut his eyelids open with a pair of scissors.
This time, we get to see Hagen attempt to force his eyes open by pulling at his now malleable face, before a close-up shows the scissors go in.
We also have a brief interview with James Gunn, who was asked about the possibility of Clayface crossing paths with Robert Pattinson's Batman: "Probably not... not in the near future, that's for sure."
Gunn has confirmed that we will see the shape-shifting villain in the DCU again, however.
"I think one of the most fun things about creating the DCU is being able to tell stories that are very, very different from one another, in very different genres, and yet they all come together at certain points," Gunn said. "And yeah, this isn't the last we'll see of Clayface. And I can't wait for you guys to see what we do with him."
DC Studios’ first-ever foray into the genre, Clayface is a horror thriller from director James Watkins, starring Tom Rhys Harries in the title role of the Gotham City villain. Clayface unravels one man’s horrifying descent from rising Hollywood star to revenge-filled monster in a story that explores the loss of one’s identity and humanity, corrosive love, and the dark underbelly of scientific ambition.
The film also stars Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan, as well as Nancy Carroll and Joshua James. James Watkins directs from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, story by Flanagan, based on characters from DC.
Clayface is produced by Matt Reeves, Lynn Harris, James Gunn and Peter Safran, with Michael E. Uslan, Rafi Crohn, Paul Ritchie, Chantal Nong Vo and Lars P. Winther executive producing.