Elizabeth Holmes Doc Challenges "Clayface" for No. 1 at Box Office — SkimNews
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- Warner Bros.' "Clayface" opened to softer-than-expected projections of $22–$28 million (down from earlier $25–$35 million estimates) from 3,400 theaters, while aiming for $20–$25 million overseas across 76 markets for a global debut of $45–$55 million.
- A24's "You Can See Everything" is projected to collect $20–$25 million in its second weekend after expanding to 2,600 venues, a rare sophomore surge following its record-shattering $15.6 million debut from just 855 theaters — the biggest nonmusical documentary opening in 20 years.
- "Clayface" cost $44 million to produce, a fraction of DC's recent comic book adaptations, and follows a Batman villain who undergoes an experimental procedure after his face is disfigured — a darker tonal pivot for the DC Universe after last year's "Supergirl" bombed.
- Laika's stop-motion animated "Wildwood" is tracking a $6–$8 million debut from more than 2,000 theaters despite sterling reviews, but its $100 million budget and five-year production timeline make a theatrical profit unlikely.
- Sony's "Klara and the Sun" opens to an estimated $2 million from roughly 850 cinemas after Sony scaled back the release following reviews calling the Taika Waititi-directed adaptation "calamitous" and "confoundingly awful."
Why it matters: A $15.6 million documentary opening from 855 theaters is rewriting assumptions about how documentaries can be marketed and released wide — and it's happening while Warner Bros.' $44 million DC gamble faces the embarrassment of a nonfiction underdog potentially out-grossing it on opening weekend. The Guardian confirms UK demand is "bonkers," suggesting this isn't a North American anomaly but a genuine audience phenomenon.
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