‘Clayface’ Matches ‘Obsession’ for the Best Audience Score of Any Major Horror Movie This Year

It has been a remarkable year for horror. Curry Barker’s microbudget sensation ‘Obsession’ grossed more than $522 million worldwide and became the scary movie everyone talked about, while Zach Cregger’s ‘Resident Evil’ reboot climbed to more than $360 million, becoming the highest-grossing film in its franchise. With so many breakout hits, standing out in the genre has rarely been harder.

Few expected DC Studios to join that conversation. ‘Clayface’, the DCU’s first R-rated body horror film, arrived on October 23 amid uncertain tracking, especially after ‘Supergirl’ opened to $37.1 million in June and reportedly finished with about $126 million worldwide.

Now ‘Clayface’ has earned a spot among the year’s most beloved horror films. As highlighted by Forbes, the film has tied ‘Obsession’ for the highest Rotten Tomatoes audience score among major horror releases this year, with both sitting at 94%.

That puts them just ahead of Yeon Sang-ho’s Korean zombie film ‘Colony’ at 93% and ‘Resident Evil’ at 90%. Further down the list, Forbes’ ranking places ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ and ‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’ at 88%, followed by ‘Send Help’ at 86%.

‘Clayface’ has tied ‘Obsession’ for the highest Rotten Tomatoes audience score among major horror releases in 2026. Both films have a 94% audience score, just above ‘Colony’ at 93% and ‘Resident Evil’ at 90%. ‘Clayface’ also earned $43 million worldwide during its opening weekend against a $44 million production budget, while its critics’ score stands at 75%. (via @Forbes )

— Complex Pop Culture (@ComplexPop) October 26, 2026

Critics have been more measured. ‘Clayface’ holds a 75% Tomatometer score, which places it outside the top 10 horror movies of the year by that metric, while ‘Obsession’ sits at 93% with critics. Forbes’ Paul Tassi noted that many fans, especially DC fans, have been surprised by how strong the film turned out to be.

The audience love has translated into solid business. ‘Clayface’ earned $43 million worldwide during its opening weekend against a $44 million production budget, nearly recouping its cost in just 3 days.

The final trailer for DC’s ‘CLAYFACE’ has been released. In theaters on October 23. https://t.co/ecTMB97Sto

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 24, 2026

That puts it in a very different position from DC’s bigger releases. Using the common rule that a film needs roughly 2 to 2.5 times its budget to break even, ‘Clayface’ would need somewhere between $80 million and $100 million worldwide, a far lower bar than most comic book films face.

The Rotten Tomatoes score isn’t the only sign of strong word of mouth. On opening night, audiences gave ‘Clayface’ an A- CinemaScore, described as a record high for a body horror film. Opening-night fans also gave it 4½ stars on PostTrak.

Its audience score also stands out within DC history. ‘Clayface’ ties ‘The Dark Knight’ and ‘Batman Begins’ for DC’s highest audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and sits ahead of ‘Superman’ and ‘Blue Beetle’, which both earned 90%. Forbes has also noted that ‘Clayface’ was already the best-reviewed solo villain comic book movie of all time on both the critic and audience side.

You wished for this. Official trailer for OBSESSION, only in theaters May 15. Text 724-876-4554 🖤 https://t.co/rNfs9wfwml

— Obsession (@obsessionmovie) March 11, 2026

Directed by James Watkins and starring Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, the film takes a darker, more tragic approach to a familiar Batman villain. It uses body horror to explore Hagen’s disturbing transformation, giving audiences something beyond the usual superhero spectacle.

That approach seems to be paying off. In a genre crowded with major hits this year, ‘Clayface’ has proven that a lower-budget, genre-driven comic book film can win over audiences in a big way. If word of mouth keeps building, DC Studios may have found an unexpected success story at exactly the moment it needed one.

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