Clayface, DC Studios' body-horror film about an actor whose body turns to clay, opens in theaters today, October 23. Rotten Tomatoes shows 76% from 113 reviews, and Metacritic, per Wikipedia, shows 59 from 35 critics.
Those two numbers describe a film that critics like more than they love. Here is what is behind them.
A note on dates: our film page still lists October 19. The U.S. release date is October 23, per Rotten Tomatoes and Wikipedia.
The Basics
- Director: James Watkins.
- Writers: Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini wrote the screenplay, from a story by Flanagan.
- Cast: Tom Rhys Harries plays Matt Hagen, with Naomi Ackie, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan and David Dencik.
- Studio: DC Studios, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
- Runtime and rating: 1 hour 48 minutes. Rotten Tomatoes lists it as rated R for language, gore, brief drug use, some nudity and strong bloody violence.
- Budget: $30 million to $44 million, per Wikipedia.
The premise, as Wikipedia summarizes it: Matt Hagen, an actor disfigured in an attack by a mobster, turns to a scientist's experimental treatment. It turns his body into clay, and he begins to lose his sanity as he struggles to recognize himself.
Wikipedia also describes it as the third film in the DC Universe's "Chapter One: Gods and Monsters," set before Superman (2025).
What Critics Agree On
Review roundups from The Hollywood Reporter and Dark Horizons, among others, point in the same direction:
- Praise: Harries' lead performance, and the practical body-horror effects and transformation scenes.
- Criticism: the script, along with dialogue, pacing and tone. Some reviewers call the story a predictable revenge thriller.
Not every review is measured. Josh Wilding's 2.5-out-of-5 review called it "DC's Morbius moment," according to Geeks + Gamers. Others, such as ComingSoon's Jonathan Sim, were warmer, calling it one of the best DC films, per ixbt.games' roundup.
One detail worth knowing: Forbes ran a story on October 14 with the headline "unanimous verdict" on early critic reactions. Early reactions before a review embargo tend to be more enthusiastic than full reviews, and the final scores are more mixed.
The Opening Weekend Forecast
Wikipedia lists projections of $25 million to $35 million domestically and $20 million to $25 million internationally, for a worldwide opening of $45 million to $55 million. Those are forecasts, not results.
For comparison, last weekend's number-one film, Street Fighter, opened to about $30.8 million, according to The Numbers. It is also the weekend You Can See Everything, which opened to $15.6 million, expands. We covered that story in a separate analysis.
In our own data, Clayface's TMDb popularity score rose from 24.8 to 74.4 between October 6 and October 21, about three times higher in two weeks, as the release approached.
Editorial Take: A 76% score and a 59 on Metacritic is a very DC result: good enough to be called a win, split enough to keep the argument going. The most useful way to read the reviews is as a description of what you will get. If you want a gory, practical-effects horror film with a strong central performance, the critics are pointing you at it. If you want a tightly written superhero story, they are warning you off. Both the praise and the complaints are specific, and they do not contradict each other.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Clayface come out? October 23, 2026, in U.S. theaters through Warner Bros. Pictures.
Is Clayface rated R? Yes. Rotten Tomatoes lists R for language, gore, brief drug use, some nudity and strong bloody violence.
How long is Clayface? 1 hour 48 minutes.
What are the reviews? 76% on Rotten Tomatoes from 113 reviews and 59 on Metacritic from 35 critics, as of this writing. Both can change.
Who wrote and directed it? James Watkins directed. Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini wrote the screenplay.
Is Clayface part of the DC Universe? Yes, according to Wikipedia: the third film in "Chapter One: Gods and Monsters."
Review scores, projections and release details come from the sources linked above and can change. Tracking what arrives next across movies, TV, games, music and books at incoming.to.