Nine years after it was first announced, “The Flash” has finally dashed into theaters, speeding toward a debut ahead of the box office competition. But the DC Studios film isn’t exactly matching the lightning pace of its superhero.
The Warner Bros. release got started with $24.5 million from 4,234 locations on opening day, which includes $9.7 million in Thursday previews. That’s enough to set the Ezra Miller film on a surefire pathway to a No. 1 debut on domestic charts, but it’ll be tough for the film to match its projections heading into the weekend — some bullish ones predicting a four-day bow as high as $85 million through the Juneteenth holiday.
“The Flash” is debuting in the same weight class as DC peers “Black Adam” (2022) and “Aquaman” (2018), which both opened to $67 million. “Aquaman” found strong staying power through its holiday season release, finishing with $335 million in North America. Last year’s Dwayne Johnson vehicle fell lower on the hierarchy of power, ending with $168 million. Naturally, Warner Bros. would like “The Flash,” which was directed by Andy Muschietti and cost $200 million to produce before a hefty promotional blitz, to perform closer to the oceanic adventure.
Even so, it’s difficult to imagine that expectations weren’t a bit higher for the film, which has led with a multiverse premise in its marketing — all the rage these days, and leveraged to a smash box office opening by Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” just two weeks ago. Beyond the scarlet speedster, the film also features not one, but two Batmen (Ben Affleck, who featured in Zack Snyder’s recent DC films; plus Michael Keaton, reprising his role from Tim Burton’s blockbusters after 31 years). There’s also a new Supergirl (Sasha Calle), a resurrected Superman villain (Michael Shannon, returning from Snyder’s “Man of Steel”) and the unspoken promise of a cavalcade of cameos.
Of course, Warner Bros. faced a tricky situation in forging a marketing strategy for its mega-budget superhero monster mash that didn’t include its main star. Ezra Miller, who stars as Barry Allen and has been waiting in the wings for this solo film since making a cameo in 2016’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” has faced a series of legal issues and troubling allegations over recent years. After being charged with felony burglary and making an apology, the actor has remained out of the spotlight in recent months, only offering their first public comments in years at the premiere of “The Flash” this week.
Couple that predicament with a troubled development timeline, which saw more directors attached than a person could count on one hand, and “The Flash” always seemed like a bit of a long shot as a potential four-quadrant crowdpleaser. Reviews haven’t been strong — the film earned a 49% approval rating from top critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Variety chief film critic Owen Gleiberman wrote that “the movie, after a smart and playful first half, gives itself over to comic-book bombast.”
What’s more urgently concerning for “The Flash” is audience sentiment; the film landed a “B” grade through research firm Cinema Score. That indicates some mixed feelings among the first round of ticket buyers, whose prioritization to see the movie means they would be more inclined to enjoy it than most. Superhero films are often expected to earn grades in the “A” range; even films that have been widely recorded as box office disappointments, such as this spring’s “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and “Black Adam,” landed “B+” grades. With a crowded summer blockbuster season ahead, there could be some choppy waters ahead for “The Flash.”
While “The Flash” seems unlikely to match its opening projections, it’s not the most hard-pressed new release of the weekend. Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental,” which follows a flame woman and a watery man that develop some chemistry with one another, is looking at a debut below $30 million through Sunday after earning $11.8 million from 4,035 theaters on opening day.
That would mark the lowest three-day opening in the history of Pixar, falling well short of the $39 million that met “The Good Dinosaur” and “Onward.” When “The Good Dinosaur” opened in 2015, the film was seen as the first box office disappointment in the animation studio’s history. “Elemental” represents an even tougher licking, following last summer’s flop of “Lightyear,” which finished with $226 million worldwide against a $200 million production budget. Before that, Disney released Pixar’s three previous features (“Soul,” “Luca” and “Turning Red”) directly on Disney+ — a move that studio chief Pete Docter believes “trained” Pixar audiences to stay away from theaters.
“Elemental” will struggle to outperform the third outing of Columbia and Sony Pictures Animation’s “Across the Spider-Verse” and may be looking at a bronze finish on domestic charts through the weekend. The “Spider-Man” entry earned $8.1 million on Friday — an impressive 51% drop from seven days before. “Across the Spider-Verse” should push its domestic total to $286 million through Monday. It’s already the third-highest grossing feature of the year — a finish about “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” which holds second place at $339 million, is definitely in the cards.
More to come…