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DC Extended Universe's (DCEU) second release of 2023, The Flash, has merely managed to collect $64.2 million on its home ground since its release, as per Discussing Film. This is a rather disappointing start since the superhero flick had the advantage of the 4-day Juneteenth (June 19) holiday weekend, but seemed to have failed to make good of it.
Starring Ezra Miller as the titular character aka Barry Allen, the film hit theaters on June 16, 2023, and spun $139 million globally at the end of its debut weekend. Armed with a stunning budget of $200–220 million, the venture has to cover a very long road in order to recover its production costs.
As soon as the pop culture portal made the collection official, netizens were quick to express their disappointment. One user commented that despite it having an “extra day” of theatrical run, the earnings still fell “less than Black Adam.”
As per Variety, the Andy Muschietti directorial pocketed $64 million domestically and a $75 million pull from other sectors pushed it to tap the $139 million score worldwide. This is well below the forecast global mark, which was in the $155–165 million bracket.
Miller aside, the film has Sasha Calle as Kara Zor-El / Supergirl, Michael Shannon as General Zod, Ben Affleck as Batman, Ron Livingston as Barry’s father Henry Allen, Maribel Verdú as his mother Nora Allen, and Michael Keaton as Batman, among others.
"James Gunn woke up feeling dangerous": Fans react to The Flash's dismal box office performance
The Flash arrived three months after fellow DCEU box office release, Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Both arrived in over 4,000 cinema halls in the United States and Canada, but turned out to be huge disappointments.
Initially, the Miller-starrer was projected to gross $68–85 million domestically, but after it collected a sub-par $25.4 million on the premiere day, the estimations were lowered to $60 million. However, The Flash barely matched that.
When Discussing Film revealed the movie’s weekend collection, social media users swiftly commented on the upsetting update. One rebuked DC Studios' co-CEO James Gunn, who had termed The Flash “probably one of the greatest superhero movies ever made.” Another netizen suggested that DCEU choose a “better and less controversial” actor than Ezra Miller.
Meanwhile, experts analyzed that several reasons played catalysts in The Flash's failed take-off. Among them, Miller’s disputed image in the wake of assault allegations and legal troubles and as a result, his absence in the marketing campaign tops the list. Other factors were poor audience reactions and flimsy VFX work as was seen in the trailers.
Even though 2023 has started on a bad note for DCEU, there’s still hope. Their upcoming slate comprises promising films like Blue Beetle and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. While Blue Beetle is slated to release on August 18, 2023, the Jason Momoa-headlined film will premiere on December 20, 2023.
The Flash is currently running in theaters.
