The DC Universe dies with 'The Flash'

The failure of ‘The Flash’ at the box office could compound Warner’s superhero universe problems.

It may be a symptom of superhero fatigue, but movies about people in costumes continue to be a mainstay of the film mainstream. What does ‘The Flash’ stumble mean?

The numbers. As we reported, Warner seemed prepared for a lukewarm box office reception with overly positive celebrity reviews and a gradual reveal of the film’s secrets. The forecast was $70 million, a modest opening figure, but it has been lowered to $55 million, below DC releases like ‘Black Adam’, which made $67 million. Internationally, $75 million, compared to $85–95 million expected.

The ‘Flash’ future. The next few weeks will be crucial to determining if we’re failing and DC’s future. If word of mouth sinks the box office even more, as it did with ‘Black Adam’ or, more notoriously, ‘Morbius’ (which started strong in its first week), the film will likely not raise enough to cover its 200 million euro budget plus marketing costs.

DC’s dead. The strange thing about ‘Flash’ is that it opened after Warner declared its DC universe dead. Flash, who debuted in Zack Snyder’s ‘Justice League’, will not have continuity. James Gunn announced his plan to expand the DC Universe starting in 2025 without Henry Cavill’s Superman or Ben Affleck’s Batman before the premiere of ‘Flash’. The last (or penultimate, if we see the sequel to ‘Aquaman’) base of a closed microuniverse is ‘Flash‘.

We say DC is dead. Even without the DC Universe’s 2025 plans, its future can destroy any prestige. In two months, “Blue Beetle,” a film with a very unattractive trailer and announced in co-production with EOne, suggests a disconnect with the DC Universe (no Batman or Wonder Woman winks or cameos are expected). In December, ‘Aquaman 2′, whose first installment was preceded by ‘Wonder Woman’ and ‘Justice League’, is unknown. Additionally, ‘Black Adam’ and ‘Shazam 2’ are not recent hits. Additionally, Amber Heard is not the most popular woman in the US.

Apocalypse predicted. It’s odd that ‘Flash’ has chronicled a foretold death since Ezra Miller’s problems became public. The exaggerated praise of those who had access to the film and new reports about his erratic behaviour, such as being accused of leading a cult or trying to seduce minors under the influence of drugs, heightened the risk of disaster. Many factors could explain the poor box office performance, but it is not surprising.

A promotion issue. The movie ‘Flash’ portrays a broken film that was challenging to fix. How could it not be if Warner decided that Ezra Miller, the protagonist, would not do press interviews or promotion and would only be seen at a controlled premiere? No Batman actors have given interviews, giving the impression that everyone wants to escape the film. James Gunn’s announcement that Andy Muschietti would direct the new Batman seems like damage control.

Marvel, but less so. Marvel is experiencing wear and tear like ‘Eternals’ and ‘Quantumania‘, unthinkable before ‘Endgame’. DC’s situation is more dire. They’re still doing well with hits like ‘Doctor Strange’ and ‘Shang-Chi’, but Sony is having the most success with Spider-Man films (animated and Tom Holland) and the most failures with ‘Morbius‘. They can keep pulling the cart, but the roller coaster is obvious.

Superhero films stink. Over the past few years, superhero cinema has changed. ‘Aquaman’ was released the same year as ‘Infinity War’, ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’, and ‘Deadpool 2’, all of which were box office and critical hits. For years, no film has matched ‘Endgame’s mass phenomenon status. We’ve had big box office hits, but the genre feels stale. Today, genre films fail at the box office and stars disown their successes. Superheroes are struggling, and ‘Flash’ is just the symptom.

The DC Universe dies with ‘The Flash’

The failure of ‘The Flash’ at the box office could compound Warner’s superhero universe problems.

By triji

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The DC Universe dies with ‘The Flash’

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