Warner Bros./DC's "Clayface" has earned an A- CinemaScore from opening night audiences. That's a very good grade for any movie, and an especially rare one for horror, a genre CS audiences tend to grade harshly.
For those unaware, CinemaScore polls moviegoers as they walk out of the theater on opening night and asks them to grade the film. Studios watch it closely because it's one of the better early indicators of word of mouth.
James Gunn wasted no time celebrating. Eager to make the most of the moment, he's telling fans he made a great movie, even though critics disagree. Sharing a post from Reddit's r/boxoffice community on Threads, he wrote:
Really proud of this. Sinners is the only horror movie to have EVER gotten an A Cinemascore, and only three horror movies have gotten an A- in the last couple years — Obsession, Weapons, and, now, Clayface. As always, all praise goes to James, Mike, Hossein, Tom, Naomi and the whole gang.
The grade comes as "Clayface" sits at #1 at the box office with a 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, up a point from where it stood after Thursday previews. The PostTrak was 4½ stars. Remember, this cost just $44M to produce. This was never a $200M tentpole that needed a massive opening. It's a leaner DC bet, and it might pay off.
Where does that A- rank in DC history? It ties "Superman," which earned an A- last year and matched "Man of Steel." "The Batman" and "Aquaman" also sit at A-. The DC ceiling remains an A, held by "The Dark Knight," "Wonder Woman" and the first "Shazam!" The floor? "Joker: Folie à Deux" at a D.
These audience scores are also much more enthusiastic than the critics' reviews. "Clayface" currently sits at 59 on Metacritic and 74% on Rotten Tomatoes. I'm more on the side of the critics when it comes to this movie, it’s a very familiar story, nothing fresh or original, but audiences have clearly taken a liking to it.
It's also a win Gunn badly needed. "Supergirl" landed a B- CinemaScore in June, a soft grade that fed the narrative that the new DCU was already struggling after "Superman." "Supergirl" went on to make only $126M worldwide, and "Coyote vs. Acme," a film Warner Bros. tried to shelve, has come within striking distance of that total.
The end result? “Clayface” is now looking at $24M this weekend, which is $3M-$4M more than late tracking had indicated.
DC's "Clayface" has earned an A- CinemaScore from opening night audiences. That's a very good grade for any movie, and an especially rare one for horror, a genre audiences tend to grade harshly.