The Flash's Box Office Plunge Leaves Fans Astonished in Week 4!
The Flash, a highly anticipated film, hit theaters on June 16 but unfortunately dropped off the box office chart completely by week 4 Can James Gunn's DCU revive the franchise and bring back its glory?
The Flash, the latest blockbuster from DC Studios, has vanished from the box office chart at an incredibly fast pace. The film revolves around Barry Allen, played by Ezra Miller, a speedster who finds himself in a parallel universe after traveling back in time to save his mother from being murdered. Despite its lukewarm opening weekend of $55 million, The Flash suffered the biggest second-week drop in the franchise's history. This series of films, collectively known as the DC Extended Universe, has now been left behind.
Deadline recently released the updated domestic box office Top 10 chart for this weekend, which included various successful films like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. However, The Flash 2023 was noticeably absent. Its underwhelming performance at the domestic box office even placed it below the recent DreamWorks Animation disappointment, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, which secured tenth place with $2.8 million.
Can James Gunn's DCU Turn Things Around For the Franchise?
Several movies in this weekend's Top 10 were released before The Flash hit theaters. These include Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (June 9) at No. 8, Across the Spider-Verse (June 2) at No. 5, and even The Little Mermaid (May 26) at No. 9. This is concerning for DC Studios as The Flash needs to make around $450 million to be profitable, but its current worldwide earnings stand at only $250 million.
The Flash marks the third consecutive disappointment for the company. Their previous film, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, fared even worse, becoming the lowest-grossing installment in the franchise with a worldwide total of $133.7 million. Prior to that, the Dwayne Johnson-led Black Adam earned $393.3 million but struggled to overcome its high production cost.
The underperformance of The Flash at the box office does not bode well for upcoming DCEU-connected films such as Blue Beetle and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The only ray of hope for reversing the franchise's financial prospects lies in the upcoming rebranded DC Universe, led by new DC co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran. Gunn's highly anticipated Superman: Legacy film, set to release in 2025, has the potential to pave the way for the franchise's success if it can make a significant impact at the box office.
