‘Clayface’ Scores a Rare CinemaScore, Giving DC Its Best Audience Grade for a Body Horror Film

Horror movies live and die by opening-night crowds. Fans show up early, react loudly and often leave less impressed than the marketing promised, which is why the genre usually lands in the middle of the CinemaScore range. A truly high grade from those audiences is a rare feat, and an R-rated body horror movie about a man turning into clay wasn’t expected to deliver one.

DC Studios needed the good news. The film arrived after a rocky run of presales, a soft start overseas and months of skepticism about whether a villain spinoff could work. Early reactions were solid, but the real test was always going to be how ordinary ticket buyers felt after the lights came up.

On opening night, audiences gave ‘Clayface‘ an A- CinemaScore, which is being described as a record high for a body horror film. CinemaScore polls moviegoers across the country on the first night, and the result puts DC’s first R-rated horror in some very good company. It sits on par with the grades for ‘Superman,’ ‘The Batman,’ ‘Aquaman’ and ‘Man of Steel.’

Audiences have spoken!!! #2 And #DCStudios seems to have pulled it off, as moviegoers are melted by #DCU’s first R-rated body horror #CLAYFACE, giving the villain an SPECTACULAR A- #CinemaScore, extremely rare for horrors, let alone R-rated ones, and best ever for body horror films. Not only that, it’s one of the best scores for a DC film since Nolan’s #TDK trilogy, despite being R-rated, on par with #SUPERMAN, #TheBatman, #Aquaman & #ManOfSteel’s A-, only below #WonderWoman & #Shazam’s A. Compared to horrors Post-Covid: On par with: • AQuietPlace2, Weapons & #FiveNightsAtFreddys, OBSESSION A- Under: • SINNERS A Above: • Scream5, Scream6, TheConjuring3, TheBlackPhone, #AQuietPlaceDayOne, #HauntedMansion, BeetlejuiceBeetlejuice, SpeakNoEvil, Companion,#FinalDestinationBloodlines, BringHerBack, M3GAN2.0, SendHelp, #ReadyOrNot2, #ResidentEvil B+ • Abigail, BonesAndAll, SAWX, Nope, M3GAN, Candyman, Maxxxine, Terrifier3, TheSubstance, Smile2, Drop, 28YearsLater, #TheConjuringLastRites, TheLongWalk, BlackPhone2 #FiveNightsAtFreddys2, #EvilDeadBurn B • Pearl,Thanksgiving, HalloweenKills, #TheForeverPurge, #TheLastVoyageOfTheDemeter, Renfield, ThePopesExorcist, & CocaineBear, TheCrow, Smile, BlinkTwice, Nosferatu, HeartEyes , DeathOfAUnicorn, Primate, Scream7, TheyWillKillYou, Passenger, Backrooms B- • SAW, TheNun2, Insidious5, #PreyForTheDevil, Barbarian, Antlers, Old, HalloweenEnds, Imaginary, Trap, Afraid, NeverLetGo, Longlegs, Heretic, Presence, TheMonkey, Opus, UntilDawn, #ClownInACornfield, #IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer, TOGETHER, TheBride!, #LeeCroninstheMummy, Insidious6, #ResidentEvilWelcomeToRaccoonCity C+ • Malignant, Immaculate, KnockAtTheCabin, TheInvitation, Nightswim, TheFirstOmen, #TheStrangersChapter1 C • TheWomanInTheYard, InfinityPool, Tarot, TheWatchers, WolfMan, HurryUpTomorrow, HIM, TheStrangersChapter2 C- • #DieMyLove, Keeper, #OtherMommy D+ • TheExorcism, StrangersChapter3 D Compared to DC Films On par with • #BatmanForever, #SUPERMAN, #TheBatman, #Aquaman & #ManOfSteel’s A- Under • #Batman, #BatmanBegins, #TheDarkKnight, #TheDarkKnightRises, #WonderWoman, #Shazam!’s A Above: • Superman Returns, Suicide Squad, Justice League, Joker, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984, The Suicide Squad, Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Blue Beetle’s B+ • Batman Returns, Catwoman, Green Lantern, Batman v Superman, The Flash, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s B • #Supergirl’s B- • Batman and Robin, Jonah Hex’s C+ • Superman IV: The Quest for Peace’s C • Joker Folie à Deux’s D

— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) October 24, 2026

The grade matters because CinemaScore has been a harsh judge for DC lately. ‘Supergirl’ earned a B-, which was lower than any DC Extended Universe film other than ‘Joker: Folie à Deux,’ and it dragged the franchise’s momentum down with it. ‘Superman,’ by contrast, got an A-.

Horror is even tougher. Genre films often land in the B range because opening-night audiences arrive with sky-high expectations, and R-rated body horror is an especially polarizing subgenre. That’s why an A- is being treated as an unusually strong result.

#TheGrade is in and it’s an A- for @ClayfaceMovieDC. https://t.co/h6K6WjnUlV https://t.co/yy5WqMjnWb

— CinemaScore (@CinemaScore) October 24, 2026

One fan tally of post-pandemic horror gives a sense of the scale. According to that list, ‘Clayface’ matches the A- grades of ‘Weapons’ and ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ and sits just below the A earned by ‘Sinners.’ It also edges past a long list of B+ titles, including ‘Resident Evil’ and several ‘Scream’ and ‘Conjuring’ entries.

Those comparisons come from a fan-compiled list, so they should be taken as rough context rather than official rankings. Still, the broader point is clear: the film is performing like a genre crowd-pleaser rather than a typical comic book movie.

The audience reaction has helped the box office. Thursday previews earned $3.5 million, and Deadline reports a $9.5 million Friday including previews. The film is now estimated to earn $23 million to $25 million for the weekend across 3,458 theaters.

That would likely be enough to claim No. 1, with A24’s documentary ‘You Can See Everything’ right behind at about $19 million in its second weekend. It would also give the newly combined Paramount and Warner Bros. a second straight No. 1 opener after ‘Street Fighter’ debuted with about $31 million last week.

The CinemaScore isn’t the only positive indicator. Deadline notes that opening-night fans gave the film 4½ stars on PostTrak, and the movie holds a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The critic score is Certified Fresh at about 75%, a strong showing for a film that began with a very uncertain outlook.

Overseas, the early picture is more modest. The studio has projected an additional $20 million to $25 million internationally, which could lead to a global opening in the range of $45 million to $55 million. With a reported budget of $44 million, that’s a manageable bar.

Watch the first trailer for #Clayface. The new DC horror film is in theaters October 23. https://t.co/gqrrtJSou5

— Rotten Tomatoes 🍅 (@RottenTomatoes) April 22, 2026

The usual caveat applies. Horror films are often front-loaded because fans rush to see them early, and some observers have worried that the movie’s enthusiasm may not extend beyond opening weekend. DC will be hoping strong word of mouth, helped by the A- grade, can keep ticket sales steady through Halloween week.

Timing could help. There’s a lack of other horror releases this month, and ‘Clayface’ is positioned as the seasonal scare of choice just before Halloween. It’s also the last DC movie until ‘Man of Tomorrow’ next July, so a long run would give the studio a boost.

For a studio that has been searching for a win, a high audience grade and a decent opening are a welcome change. ‘Clayface’ was a lower-budget swing in a very different genre, and it appears to be paying off with the audience that matters most. A strong hold next weekend would confirm that the experiment has legs.

Whether the film can climb from a promising start to a genuine hit remains to be seen, but the early signals are the best DC has had in months.

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