‘Clayface’ Matches ‘The Dark Knight’ and ‘Batman Begins’ With a Record-Tying Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

DC Studios has taken plenty of swings with its new cinematic universe, but none quite as unusual as ‘Clayface’. The R-rated DC Universe horror film arrived in theaters on October 23, 2026, and it stars Tom Rhys Harries as Matt Hagen, a movie star whose prospects turn dark when his face becomes malleable and claylike. Directed by James Watkins from a screenplay by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, it’s the third theatrical installment in the rebranded DC Universe.

The road to opening day wasn’t exactly smooth. The film hit theaters after weeks of rough box office signals, including presales that set off alarms and an overseas start below ‘Supergirl’. At one point, presales had it trailing ‘Supergirl’ by 80% at the same stage before release.

Now that paying audiences have weighed in, the story looks very different. According to DC Film News, ‘Clayface’ now ties ‘The Dark Knight’ and ‘Batman Begins’ for the highest audience score of any DC movie on Rotten Tomatoes, with all 3 sitting at 94%. As the account quipped, it must be a Gotham thing.

That’s lofty company for a film about one of Batman’s lesser-known rogues. The Popcornmeter score is based on more than 250 verified ratings, debuting at 95% before settling slightly, and it reflects the share of verified ticket buyers who rated the film 3.5 stars or higher.

The milestone matters beyond the comparison with those beloved Batman films. ‘Clayface’ is now the highest-rated movie in James Gunn’s superhero franchise among filmgoers, surpassing ‘Superman’ at 90%, while ‘Supergirl’ sits at 72%.

‘CLAYFACE’ now ties ‘THE DARK KNIGHT’ and ‘BATMAN BEGINS’ for the highest audience score of any DC movie on Rotten Tomatoes! Must be a Gotham thing 🍅 https://t.co/DC8J0AGU01

— DC Film News (@DCFilmNews) October 23, 2026

Critics were a bit more measured. When the review embargo lifted on October 21, the film debuted in the low-to-mid 70s on Rotten Tomatoes before climbing to a Certified Fresh 76% from 116 reviews. Several reviewers called it a pleasant surprise, while others found it uneven or derivative.

Much of the praise, from critics and audiences alike, has centered on Harries. Even the less enthusiastic reviews have highlighted his performance, with one calling him a brilliant find by DC Studios despite finding the film forgettable overall.

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

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 24, 2026

The timing of that audience love couldn’t be better. ‘Clayface’ pulled in $3.5 million from Thursday previews, landing exactly where Deadline had spotted it, and fans who showed up gave it 4½ stars on PostTrak. It now faces a genuine fight for the top spot this weekend against ‘You Can See Everything’.

The film also doesn’t need blockbuster numbers to be a win. It comes in at a net production cost of $44 million before marketing, and was shot in the UK. For comparison, last year’s ‘Superman’ made $619 million worldwide, while ‘Supergirl’ disappointed with $126 million.

The project has been a passion piece for DC’s leadership since the start. Mike Flanagan’s script got Gunn and Peter Safran excited back in December 2024, and ‘The Batman’ director Matt Reeves also serves as a producer alongside them.

There is one caveat worth keeping in mind. Since the film only just opened, the audience score is bound to change over the coming days and weeks as more viewers share their ratings. Whether it holds at 94% or slips, the early reaction has already flipped the narrative around DC’s riskiest experiment yet.

For now, a body horror movie about a disfigured actor is sharing the top of DC’s audience leaderboard with 2 of the most acclaimed Batman films ever made. Few would have predicted that just a month ago.

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