The Flash’sdirector, Andy Muschietti, gave an honest answer when confronted with the critical and commercial failure of his film. PerBox Office Mojo,The Flashonly grossed $108 million domestically and $271 million globally. Against a budget of $200 million and a substantial marketing campaign, this secured the film the title of box office flop.Sidesteppingthe controversy surrounding star Ezra Miller, he explained that the film suffered from a general lack of audience interest.
PerCinemaBlend(in a quote translated from Portuguese), Muschietti stated: “The Flash failed, among all the other reasons (Ezra Miller, superhero fatigue) because it wasn’t a movie that appealed to all four quadrants.” He then explained that the film’s substantial budget contributed to its perception as a failure. Muschietti clarified: “When you spend $200 million making a movie, Warner wants to bring even your grandmother to the theaters.”
Continuing, Muschietti also attributed the failure of his film to Barry Allen/the Flash’s lack of popularity among audiences. He explained: “I’ve found in private conversations that a lot ofpeople just don’t care about The Flash as a character.” In particular, Muschietti said that the character struggled to draw in “the two female quadrants.”
What Andy Muschietti’s The Flash Comments Mean
Though Muschietti is correct in his assertion that the Flash doesn’t have the name recognition of Batman, his analysis of the situation ignores a significant part of the character’s history. While it’s true that the Flash had never helmed a film before, the DC hero led a long-running series on The CW. Starring Grant Gustin,The Flashran for 9 seasons, as part of the successful Arrowverse franchise.Though the series dipped in quality and viewership over the years, it was hugely influential in making Barry a fan-favorite character among younger audiences,including women.
10 Moments In The Flash That Grant Gustin’s Arrowverse Hero Did Better
While Grant Gustin didn’t show up in The Flash movie, the Arrowverse Barry Allen outdid some of Ezra Miller’s moments as Barry in his series.
As such, it seems shortsighted to only attribute the movie’s failure to the Flash’s popularity. Rather,the film’s lack of success can be attributed to a variety of factors, including the Flash’s B-tier status, Miller’s problematic history, the decline in the DCEU’s quality and reputation, and the overall quality of the film.In fact,The Flashsuffered from terrible word of mouth, with a key reason beingthe film’s awful visual effects. Additionally, even the inclusion ofMichael Keaton reprising his role from Tim Burton’sBatmanfilmsdid not bring in audiences, despite his iteration of the character remaining popular with fans.
Our Take On Andy Muschietti’s The Flash Comments
Muschietti’s comments, while not inaccurate, fail to truly consider whyThe Flashbombed. Miller’s reputation was in shambles, between their criminal offenses and starring in the poorly receivedFantastic Beastsfilms. The DCEU had just released two back-to-back failures, withBlack AdamandShazam! Fury of the Gods, and a franchise reboot was on the way. Combining those factors with the film’s poor effects, strange writing choices, and bizarre ending, it is hard to blame its box office returns onThe Flash’slead character not having enough name recognition.
The Flash
Cast
The Flash is a DC Extended Universe film starring Ezra Miller as Barry Allen, A.K.A. The Flash. Wishing for a world where his mother still lives, Barry Allen manages to find a way to travel through time to save her. However, Barry ends up in an alternate universe where metahumans aren’t present, meaning a living General Zod arrives to conquer the planet. To save this world and return home, Barry will seek the help of two alternate reality heroes, Batman (Michael Keaton) and Supergirl (Sasha Calle).
