Disappointing News For Ezra Miller’s Fans: Frustrating Box Office Performance of ‘The Flash’ Continues
With the release of The Flash, an action movie starring Ezra Miller, executives at DC Studios and Warner Bros. had high expectations. They hoped that it would bring an end to their studio’s recent string of underwhelming box-office performances. But The Flash only serves to increase the list of failures.
The Flash reportedly made $55 million in its first three days, which is a significant improvement over Shazam: Fury of the Gods! but not enough. Warner Bros. made a concerted effort to promote the film by referring to it as one of the greatest superhero movies ever made, even though critics have given it favorable reviews, it has failed to gross the expected collection.
Read this: The Flash Almost Covers Up Entire Shazam 2 Box Office Run in a Single Weekend
Ezra Miller’s controversial life had an impact on The Flash
The controversial life of actor Ezra Miller over the past few years has undoubtedly had an impact on the film, as some critics have noted. A video of Miller choking a fan made headlines in 2020, and later that year, in 2022, they were detained and accused of disorderly conduct and harassment at a karaoke bar in Hawaii.
Miller was also accused of grooming minors, which cast serious doubt on their futures with DC Studios. But after being charged with felony burglary in Stamford, Vermont, the actors accepted responsibility for their actions and said in a statement that they had experienced periods of intense crisis and would seek treatment for complex mental health issues. Miller ultimately avoided jail time thanks to a January plea agreement.
The controversial actor’s attachment to the project did not allow the executives to advertise or go ahead with the sort of publicity they would rather do for The Flash which is also one of the reasons why the movie tanked. They have not done any major interviews or promotions for the film and it has been reported that Warner Bros. does not currently plan any future projects with them.
Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck’s Batman could not save The Flash
The audience was thrilled to see actors Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck back on screen in The Flash as their respective Batman characters, but it can be said that since the film’s release, neither of them has been able to draw in viewers.
The main character of the movie, played by Miller, is Barry Allen, who goes back in time to save his mother. The events that follow cause a split in the multiverse. Along with Affleck, who also plays Batman, Keaton, and Michael Shannon both reprise their roles as Batman and General Zod, respectively.
Barbara Muschietti said that watching Keaton play the Caped Crusader once again was magical. She said, “It was amazing. It was almost religious. The crew is always talking and chatting, and we were in the Batcave. The ADs told us he was walking in and you could hear a pin drop. It was completely quiet and I still get chills from seeing him just going up the tower in full regalia and just standing there. It was magical. I think it was magical for him too.”
Did DC’s undergoing reset affect The Flash’s box office collection?
Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore shared, “The studio “did a fantastic job of dealing with the situation they had. It’s a very interesting case study of what can happen when the title character of a huge movie has these very public controversies. But it’s hard to reverse engineer it to know what effect it may have had.”
A critic also pointed out that the studios are undergoing a significant restructuring under co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran, which may have been a major factor in the film’s failure to draw audiences to theaters. Fans may have chosen to relocate while they wait for the new DCU era. The movie received only a B from audiences surveyed for CinemaScore, which historically hasn’t been good for word-of-mouth potential or longevity.
The Flash failed to make a strong box office haul, so the sequel’s future is still unknown. It was also reported that the film’s sequel would only be produced if it was successful.
Source: Digital Spy
