The Flash, a superhero film that marks the reset point for James Gunn’s revamped DC Universe, has opened to a sluggish $139 million at the global box office. The opening is just shy of Black Adam’s opening weekend, which stood at $140 million. Despite the multiverse-hopping shenanigans that have been successful in other superhero films, The Flash is reportedly performing worse than projections, earning only $64 million from within the US and Canada. The film’s lead actor, Ezra Miller, was largely barred from appearing in the film’s publicity campaigns, following his run-ins with the law in 2022. This may have played a part in the disappointing box office numbers.
The Challenges that The Flash Faced
The Flash faced several challenges during its production, one of which was Miller’s legal issues. Warner Bros. had considered scrapping the $200 million movie if the actor refused to seek help or cooperate. Since there are two versions of Barry Allen in the film, with his face present in almost every scene, reshooting the same film with a different actor was impossible. Thus, much of the marketing was done with Sasha Calle, who plays Supergirl in The Flash.
In addition, The Flash lacked a star of Dwayne Johnson’s stature for marketing purposes, unlike Black Adam. However, the film had one thing in common with other successful films, multiverse-hopping shenanigans. From the superhero realm, we’ve seen back-to-back wins from Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and more recently, Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse.
The Box Office Numbers
The Flash’s box office numbers are disappointing, especially considering the DC Extended Universe’s underperformance. China took the top spot, earning The Flash an estimated $13.8 million, which is still lower than expected. Mexico followed with $9.4 million, while the UK added another $5.3 million to the pot. Korea made $3.8 million, followed closely by Brazil with $3.5 million.
Despite the disappointing box office numbers, The Flash director Andy Mushietti has confirmed that Miller will continue playing the Scarlet Speedster as long as he is involved in the superhero franchise. If a sequel is greenlit, Mushietti wants Miller back, saying: “I don’t think there’s anyone that can play that character as well as they did. The other depictions of the character are great, but this particular vision of the character, they just excelled in doing it.”
Gunn’s revamped DC Universe has the potential to propel the franchise back into profit. He recently hired Mushietti, The Flash’s director, to direct the new Batman movie, The Brave and the Bold, which brings Damian Wayne/ Robin into the mix. The Flash has a clear runway until the end of June, which brings Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny to theaters.
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