DC Studios scored a modest, R-rated win with ‘Clayface’, landing a USD 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 USD 19.5 million in its first weekend of wide release.
‘You Can See Everything’ scores USD 45 million haul
The Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim-directed film increased from 855 locations to 2,655. In expansion, it continued to blow away expectations. With USD 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 the docu is nominated for best picture at the Oscars, it would be the first documentary nominated for Hollywood’s top prize.
‘Clayface’ succeeds on a smaller scale for DC
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 USD 44 million – a fraction of the expense of most comic book films. It added USD 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 USD 126 million worldwide on a USD 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 the film may end up the top genre draw of the month.
‘Street Fighter ‘ sees 72% drop in collections
Last weekend’s top film, the video game adaptation ‘Street Fighter’, sank like a stone, dropping 72% with USD 8.6 million in its second weekend. The Paramount Pictures release, made for about $80 million, has grossed USD 46.9 million domestically in two weeks.
‘Wildwood ‘ and ‘Wicker’ make strong starts
‘Wildwood’, the latest stop-motion animated film from the Portland, Oregon-based studio Laika, debuted in third place with USD 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 USD 5.9 million opening).But ‘Wildwood’ is still unlikely to generate a profit, given that it cost USD 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 Skarsgard, launched with an excellent USD 5.8 million in 1,471 theaters. Acquired for USD 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 (Skarsgard).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 USD 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, the film 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.
Top 10 movies at the domestic box office
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak:1. “Clayface,” $24 million.2. “You Can See Everything,” $19.5 million.3. “Wildwood,” $11.8 million.4. “Street Fighter,” $8.6 million.5. “Wicker,” $5.8 million.6. “Other Mommy,” $3.9 million.7. “Sense and Sensibility,” $3.4 million.8. “Whalefall,” $3.2 million.9. “Verity,” $3.1 million.10. “Resident Evil,” $3 million.