'The Flash' Runs With Record Low Earnings After Seeing MASSIVE Drop In Weekend Turnout, Film Likely To Lose Money

‘The Flash’ can’t seem to outrun disappointed expectations as the movie is seeing the largest second-weekend box office drop of any DC movie, plummeting a massive 72.5% from its already abysmal opening weekend earnings.

The movie, starring non-binary actor Ezra Miller, set standards low after only pulling in $55 million on its opening weekend domestically. Somehow, the film dropped even lower pulling in only a mere $15.3 million the following weekend according to Direct.com. The drop is the second worst ever for Warner Bros, only being topped by their 1997 flop ‘Steel’ that starred Shaquille O’Neal.

This immense failure is nothing new for DC movies with 2020’s Suicide Squad seeing a 71.5% drop in its second-weekend box office sales, but at least that movie had the excuse of the then-raging COVID-19 pandemic. ‘The Flash’ isn’t awarded that same understanding with the film seemingly just not appealing to moviegoers.

The disappointing performance may indicate that the production is going in the red as it is estimated that the film had a roughly $220 million budget with another $65 million in marketing and other costs, though that marketing seemed to do very little. With only currently pulling $87.6 million domestically, it’s predicted to only generate around $110-$120 million, according to Direct.com with a predicted $210 million globally. This will still be leaving the new superhero film in the red, something DC hasn’t had to see in quite a while.

The actual cause for why the movie has had such a lackluster premiere has been widely debated, with many pointing to superhero fatigue as the reason. It’s hard to make that case though after ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ dominated the box office and pulled huge numbers in for Sony.

Others have pointed to the controversy surrounding the movie's star Ezra Miller. Last year, he generated headlines following accusations of brainwashing and grooming a teenage girl as well as exploiting other children, something Warner Bros did all they could to keep out of the news. The actor also was charged with a felony burglary in Vermont after taking bottles of alcohol from private residences. 

Miller later released an apology statement to Variety saying that he was “suffering [from] complex mental health issues and [has] begun ongoing treatment,” though the specifics of his treatment and mental health issues have never become public. 

Regardless of why, the movie has disappointed both Warner Bros and moviegoers alike, something clear from its sales. Perhaps it’s time for studios to take deeper dives into the current movie landscape and decide a better course of action than their current plans.