An industry expert has called the Flash's underwhelming box office debut a "disaster" for DC Studios.
Speaking to Variety, an anonymous industry veteran who worked on many major film campaigns said The Flash "should be opening at $120 million domestic" after it opened at a feeble $55 million. "This is an unmitigated disaster," they added.
This is because DC Studios' 2023 release schedule — which includes Shazam 2, The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman 2 — is estimated by experts speaking to Variety to cost between $1.1 billion and $1.2 billion in production and marketing, leaving the remaining two films with a lot of catch-up.
The Flash premiered on June 15 and is therefore due another few weeks at the box office, though its recent competition in the likes of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has completely outperformed it so far. The sequel opened to $120.5 million and even in its second week earned more than The Flash's debut with $55.42 million of its own.
There has certainly been plenty of conversation around The Flash, however, headlined by its wealth of cameos that have been deemed by some as odd and offensive.
The box office performance also raises a question mark over star Ezra Miller's future in the DCU, and perhaps DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran's eagerness to bring the Flash back sooner rather than later.
Director Andy Muschietti hasn't ruled out a sequel, though he's already been tapped by DC to lead Batman: The Brave and The Bold: one of five movies in Chapter 1 of the new DCU.
That being said, listening to anyone other than Gunn or Safran for verdicts on the DCU feels somewhat pointless after Henry Cavill announced his return to the franchise before being snubbed just a few months later, with his DCEU colleagues facing similar fates.
IGN has reached out to Warner Bros. for comment on the film's box office performance.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
