Clayface Solidifies A Huge Advantage James Gunn's DCU Has Over The MCU's First 3 Movies

Published Oct 27, 2026, 11:30 AM EDT

Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release.

He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years.

The DC Universe will never be able to escape comparisons to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and one major advantage James Gunn's franchise has early on is solidified thanks to Clayface. The 2026 R-rated body horror film is the third movie to come out in this universe, following Superman in 2025 and Supergirl​​​​​​'s release earlier this year.

DC Studios' confidence in the film was questioned with a late review embargo lift and uncertainty about its theatrical performance following Supergirl's box office bomb. Clayface earned mostly positive reviews, giving it a 76% on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing. The opening weekend came in at $24 million domestically and $43 million worldwide, which is solid for a $40 million production.

While both numbers would have been better in DC's ideal world, that is not really possible with Clayface's audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is Verified Hot at 94% after receiving over 2,500 ratings. To put that into perspective, Clayface is tied with Batman Begins and The Dark Knight for the highest audience score on Rotten Tomatoes among all live-action DC movies.

Clayface's audience score is also notable when comparing the DCU and MCU. While the latter has produced six movies with 94% or better audience scores, it took Marvel Studios over a decade to hit that mark for the first time. DC Studios has now done it with its third DCU movie, showing an increasingly favorable outlook in DC's favor between the starts of these cinematic universes.

The DCU's First 3 Movies Have Received More Positive Audience Reactions Than The MCU's

The MCU is known for starting on an incredible note with 2008's Iron Man, but the DCU has had the stronger start across its first three films in terms of audience reception. Superman earned 90% on the Popcornmeter. Supergirl came out with a positive score at 72%. Now, Clayface has beaten them both with its 94% score.

That gives the DCU an average Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 85% after three movies. It is eight points higher than the MCU's average at the same point. Marvel Studios' first three releases have an average audience score of 77%.

DCU Vs. MCU (First 3 Movies)
DCU Movie	RT Audience Score	MCU Movie	RT Audience Score
Superman	90%	Iron Man	91%
Supergirl	72%	The Incredible Hulk	69%
Clayface	94%	Iron Man 2	71%
Average	85%	Average	77%

Clayface didn't swing the audience score battle in DC's favor, either. Gunn's franchise was already ahead of the MCU before, but only by one percent. Clayface solidified the DCU's more well-received beginning and showed that it really isn't that close.

What's even more striking is that the DCU's lowest-rated movie, Supergirl, is still higher than two of the MCU's first three films. Critics might not agree with that assessment, and audiences might not have turned out to support it in theaters, but it is clear that those who have watched Supergirl still found it more enjoyable than earlier entries in the MCU.

It is worth noting that Rotten Tomatoes' audience score system was overhauled between the MCU and DCU's inceptions. In an effort to decrease review bombing, the aggregator implemented a system that required users to have proof of buying a ticket for a new movie before being able to leave a review.

The MCU movies also have more reviews by a long shot, with each over 250,000 ratings. The DCU hasn't reached that number in totality, with Superman's 25,000 verified ratings the highest.

Gunn's DC franchise is still superior with audience even if we go beyond Rotten Tomatoes' verified reviews, though. The all-audiences score is 84% for Superman, 70% for Supergirl, and still 94% for Clayface. That gives the DCU a new average of 83%, which is still six points higher than the MCU's average.

The DCU's Higher Audience Scores On Rotten Tomatoes Are A Good Sign For Gunn's Vision

Credit: Jeffrey Mayer/MediaPunch/INSTARimages

All the positivity from the paying audience for DC's blockbusters goes to show that the DCU is on the right track under Gunn and Safran's leadership. For as much discourse as there was about DC being in trouble following Supergirl's reception and performance, it is evident that fans are actually really on board for this universe. This can be traced back to some key decisions Gunn and Safran made in rebooting the DC franchise.

Gunn made it clear from day one that the DCU would be a franchise with lots of variance in regards to the types of stories, characters, and genres it explores. Superman and Clayface couldn't be more different, but both work independently of each other. There is certainly some crossover between audiences who have seen both, yet they also were made with different demographics in mind and found ways to appeal to them.

The DCU has also avoided rushing out projects that weren't ready. Even with Supergirl's behind-the-scenes turmoil, there is no instance of DC Studios doing what Marvel Studios did early on by making Iron Man without a finished script or rushing Iron Man 2 into theaters to expedite building up to The Avengers.

The higher audience scores for the DCU's movies reflect the overall positive view most have of this blossoming franchise. It suggests that the DCU hasn't done anything to really turn away its fanbase. Instead, it could be increasing how many people are invested in where this franchise is going, which is great ahead of 2027's event film, Man of Tomorrow.

The DCU's Box Office Needs To Catch Up To Its Audience Scores Next

The biggest issue for the DCU so far has been translating these great audience scores to the box office. This is the area where the MCU is still vastly superior. Through Marvel Studios' first three movies, they averaged almost $500 million worldwide and over $90 million in their opening weekends. DC Studios is below a $400 million worldwide average (not including Clayface) and $65 million in opening weekends. The MCU's dominance gets much bigger with inflation, too.

Superman is the DCU's only movie so far where audiences' love of the material can be seen with its box office numbers. The $125M opening and $618M global total are far and away highs for Gunn's franchise. Clayface could still wind up being a profitable release thanks to its lower budget, but it does not seem poised for even a $200+ million gross.

The hope for DC Studios is that this will start to change with Man of Tomorrow. The movie has a built-in advantage by being a Superman sequel and Gunn's steady hand directing. It would be a real surprise if audiences didn't respond positively to the blockbuster and give the DCU another high audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

But the DCU needs it to do much more. The best outcome is Man of Tomorrow blowing past Superman's box office and be this franchise's version of The Avengers, a massive ensemble breakout financial hit. That would really solidify that audiences are fully invested in where Gunn is taking this franchise, ensuring no DC Universe shakeups come in the wake of Skydance's acquisition of Warner Bros.

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  Tom Rhys Harries

  Matt Hagen / Clayface

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  Naomi Ackie

  Dr. Caitlin Bates