Mike Flanagan‘s First Superhero Movie Is Officially a Box-Office Hit on Global Debut

Mike Flanagan wrote the screenplay for DCU’s Clayface, and although it was revised later on (likely by Hossein Amini), the writer hadn’t expected his first superhero movie to become a box-office hit!

The film was released on October 23 and debuted with a collection of $10.6 million during its opening day. Per Box Office Mojo, the film has collected a total of $24 million in its domestic opening weekend alongside $19 million from the international market.

Taking the No.1 box office spot in almost every theater, Clayface currently stands with a total opening of $43 million, which is very good for a DCU movie with body-horror and gothic elements. Clearly, Flanagan’s inspiration for the movie worked quite well.

Mike Flanagan Confirms Clayface Was Inspired By Legendary Batman Series

A still from Batman: The Animated Series | Credits: Warner Bros. Animation

After Mike Flanagan wrote the initial screenplay for Clayface, the writer went on with his projects. However, back in November 2025, Flanagan confirmed that his screenplay for the 2026 body-horror movie was inspired by Batman: The Animated Series.

During his talks with ComicBook, Mike Flanagan revealed that Season 1, Episodes 4 and 5 (titled Feat of Clay Part 1 and 2) were the basis for his version of Matt Hagen and the story that he wanted to show.

Feat of Clay, Ron Perlman, to me, that’s it. That two-parter knocked me out. The short answer is that [it] is absolutely what inspired my script. That is the world I wanted to live in. Batman: The Animated Series, when I was growing up, was my Batman.

Although 2026 has been a weirdly good year for movies (like the A24 documentary making millions), it seems that Flanagan’s body-horror flick literally saved the DCU from having a bad year, especially after that disastrous release of Supergirl.

Clayface Became DCU’s 2026 Savior After Supergirl Flop

Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen in Clayface | Credits: DC Studios

Supergirl was one of the most disastrous releases for James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU. According to IMDb, the film was made with a budget of $170 million and managed to have a worldwide collection of $126 million during its theatrical run. To put this into comparison, DCU’s tentpole, Superman, had a budget of $225 million and grossed $618 million (via IMDb).

However, Flanagan’s gothic horror movie was made with a budget of just $40 million. The film has already crossed the break-even point in a matter of three days, and will likely go on to increase its earnings (with the reviews and ratings that it has received).

In fact, the film has also achieved an impressive CinemaScore grade, something that James Gunn was very proud of. The film has also restored people’s faith in the DCU, and the underwhelming performance of Supergirl is being forgotten each day that Clayface makes more millions. Naturally, it can be said that the Mike Flanagan movie didn’t let the DCU end 2026 on a bad note.

Have you seen this body-horror masterpiece? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Clayface is currently screening in theaters.