Why The Flash failed at the box office, according to the director

The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is making its first mistake early on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which was rejected by a wide audience despite having its share of staunch defenders. In the face of rival Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, which was seemingly endlessly successful, Warner Bros. continued to build on a weak foundation. But the DCEU has never had consistent success or direction, and that struggle culminating in the historic disaster that was the 2023 Outbreak.

In a recent interview in Portuguese with Radio TUMuschietti touched on why he thinks The Flash bombed at the checkout. On the one hand, the star of the film, Ezra Miller, attracted a mountain of negative publicity for several criminal acts even before the film premiered. In March and April 2022, Miller was arrested twice in Hawaii: first for disorderly conduct and stalking, and then for assault. trans Fair of vanityin June 2022, the parents of young activist Tokata Iron Eyes filed a restraining order against Miller, who they claimed had been babysitting their child since first meeting Tokata in 2016, when they were just 12 years old.

In an interview with Radio TU, Muschietti discussed Miller’s “PR crisis” in broad terms, describing it as the result of a “mental health situation” but reiterating that he had a positive experience with the actor in The Flash. Muschietti then named his next culprit: superhero fatigue. Finally, he suggested that the Flash is not a popular enough character for a multi-million dollar blockbuster. Specifically, the director claimed that he learned from “private conversations” that “a lot of people just aren’t interested in Flash as a character. Especially the two women’s quadrants.”

This is a new one; Apparently women just don’t like Flash. Does it hold up to offense?

According to Box Office Prothe opening weekend audience for Outbreak was 63 percent male and 37 percent female. It’s a one-sided split, to be sure, but unusual for the superhero genre. Billionaire hit Spider-Man: No Way Home according to reports had exactly the same audience ratio. “Avengers: Endgame” came in with a 60/40 split in favor of menand Warner Bros.’ DC’s previous hit “Batman” attracted an audience of 65 percent men and 35 percent women.

Muschietti said in an interview that “when you spend $200 million to make a movie, Warner Bros. wants to bring even your grandma to the theaters,” suggesting that Flash needs a wider appeal. But it doesn’t add up. “The Flash” was more than two decades in developmentand Muschietti was just the latest in a long line of directors to be attached to the project. When Warner Bros. thought that the film would not be attractive to the four quadrants, so why make it at all? The fact that the studio continued to promote The Flash despite its setbacks suggests that someone at the top was confident that it could succeed.

The fact that The Flash isn’t a viable superhero star also doesn’t hold up much attention, because while the movie was in development, The Flash TV series ran for nine seasons on the CW, from 2014 to 2023. , it’s also possible that the success of The Flash TV show worked against the film. The crossover’s appeal to fans of the show would be limited because it wasn’t Grant Gustin, them The Flash, playing the movie version of Barry Allen. The TV show “Flash” is also considered by many to be on the decline in the following seasons. The movie premiered just a month after the TV series finally wrapped? It can definitely contribute to feeling tired.

Look, it’s not fair to blame the failure of “Flash” only on Muschietti. He worked on it as a hired gun, and he cites some external factors that undoubtedly worked against the film. But be warned, Andy: the “no four-quadrant appeal” excuse doesn’t work if “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” bombs.