For a character who can turn himself into just about anyone, Clayface may have found his most impressive disguise yet — a box-office success.
DC Studios’ latest film, Clayface, is shaping up to be a welcome victory for James Gunn’s developing superhero universe. The R-rated body-horror movie earned an A− CinemaScore from opening-night audiences and is projected to collect about $23-$25 million domestically during its debut weekend.
Not bad for a Batman villain who managed to headline a movie without the Dark Knight having to relive his parents’ death… AGAIN.
Directed by James Watkins and written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, the film stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, an actor whose disfigurement leads him to an experimental treatment with some rather unfortunate side effects. Imagine gaining the ability to become anyone you want, only to discover the transformation comes with far worse consequences than an awkward visit to the plastic surgeon.
Audiences are apparently eating it up.
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A Horror Movie With Superhero-Sized Approval
An A− CinemaScore is impressive for any release, but particularly for an R-rated horror movie, a genre where audiences tend to be less generous with their grades.
Gunn celebrated the result on Threads, noting that Sinners remains the only horror movie to earn a straight A, while Clayface joins Weapons and Obsession among recent films to receive an A−.
“Really proud of this,” Gunn wrote, before crediting the filmmakers and cast.
The result also puts Clayface in some rather distinguished company. It matches the A− Gunn earned for Superman in 2025, as well as The Batman, despite operating on a much smaller scale.
Meanwhile, Rotten Tomatoes shows a 76% critics’ score and a 94% verified audience score as of Saturday.
Is James Gunn’s DC Universe Finally Taking Shape?
Now we’re not left waiting to see if Clayface can win its opening weekend, but we’re also left wondering what the movie’s reception means for DC Studios.
Gunn and fellow DC Studios chief Peter Safran have been attempting to rebuild a cinematic universe that spent years struggling to establish a consistent identity. Superman offered a recognizable hero and a more optimistic tone, while Supergirl received a considerably cooler B− CinemaScore earlier this year.
Clayface represents a different approach entirely.
Rather than spending hundreds of millions of dollars on another world-ending threat, DC reportedly spent roughly $44 million producing a gruesome, character-driven horror movie about a relatively obscure Batman villain.
No DC character needs to save humanity, assemble a team, or deliver a speech about responsibility while standing in front of a suspiciously expensive green screen.
Sometimes a man turning into a monster is enough.
A $24 million opening doesn’t automatically mean that Clayface was a financial success. We still have to account for marketing costs, international performance, and second-weekend ticket sales, which will ultimately determine whether the movie did well enough for Wayne Enterprises to pop open any bottles of champagne.
But the early response suggests something potentially more valuable for DC and its fanbase. The studio might be able to build a connected universe without making every movie feel like it has to relate to the last, and perhaps that’s the real transformation happening here.
Clayface can become anyone. Maybe the DC universe can too.
