The Flashhas a few roadblocks in the domestic box office marathon this Summer, possibly due to problems overlooked by Warner Bros. Discovery. According to early tracking,The Flashcould be the latest in a long line of box office underperformers in 2023.
The Flashmarketing strategy has focused on early screenings and celebrity endorsements from Stephen King, Tom Cruise, Jaden Smith, and more. However, Ezra Miller and Michael Keaton have not been seen promoting it so far. This comes amid James Gunn telling fans that they don’t need to see any previous DC film before watchingThe Flash, as long as they know Michael Keaton is Batman, despite the film resting almost entirely onthe Snyderverse DCEU films. All in all, a marketing strategy that aims to please the general audience may be counterintuitive if it is too broad and does not hold up to the excitement it’s building.
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According toThe Hollywood Reporter,The Flashaims to hit the $70 million range in its domestic opening. “Box office insiders say that’s a soft number for a movie that’s been heavily promoted by Warner Brothers Discovery as the best superhero film of all time," writes THR. “Others note that a movie’s hold once it opens is more important than the opening weekend gross.”The Flashreportedly cost $220 million, but there is speculation that the number is much higher thanks to delays, development costs going as far back as 2015, andThe Flashmovie marketing, which insiders claim puts it closer to around $300 million, if not higher.
The Flashmay need to gross roughly $700 million to break even. Unfortunately for Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, it might be too late to cancelThe Flashlike he didBatgirlfor what reports suggest was a tax write-off, especially underthe pretense thatBatgirlwas unreleasableafter callingThe Flashthe best superhero movie. Perhaps if Warner Bros. Discovery’s marketing strategy had put Ezra Miller in the spotlight and focused on the importance of mental health while tying it into what Barry Allen is going through inThe Flash, it could have potentially turned the narrative around.
Warner Bros. Discovery is still showing various cuts ofThe Flashin early screenings. However, if it remained a celebration of what came before, rather than being used as a tool to see what works forJames Gunn’s DCU reboot, then it might have seen less division in the race to its release. It is a shame, as Andy and Barbara Muschietti set out to make a great superhero film that became muddled by inside agendas at the studio, like so many DC directors before them. Even so,The Flashmay be able to turn it around after its opening weekend if word of mouth is as strong as its celebrity endorsements.
The Flashwill premiere in theaters on July 02, 2025.
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