The Flash director Andy Muschietti has spoken out about why he thinks his 2023 DC movie delivered disappointing box office takings.
Starring Ezra Miller as speedy hero Barry Allen, The Flash made a not-insignificant $271 million (£222 million) at the global box-office. But with an initial filmmaking budget of $200 million (£164 million) and marketing costs on top of that, it was considered a monetary flop.
Speaking on Radio Tu’s La Baulera del Coso show, the Argentinian director spoke about some potential reasons why, with the main one being that it didn’t appeal to a wide enough audience.
Muschietti said: “When a movie like this comes out, there is an expectation of bringing the four quadrants of the audience.”
The “four quadrants” of the movie-going audience that Muschietti says The Flash “failed” to hit are men over and under 25, and women over and under 25. According to the director, the film’s biggest downfall was the female half, saying “I found out that many people are not interested in the Flash character, the two female quadrants.”
He also cited “fatigue of the superhero genre” as a contributing factor to the film’s box office woes.
Aside from the above, The Flash also had challenges around its release because it came after lead actor Miller was involved in a number of legal issues. In October 2022, Miller pleaded not guilty to felony burglary charges in Vermont, before pleading guilty to a trespassing charge. They have since apologised for their behaviour, and undergone treatment for “complex mental health issues”.
Muschietti mentioned Miller on the radio show, saying “As many people know, we had a publicity crisis with the main actor, Ezra Miller.
“When you make a movie there are things you can’t control, and one of them is when actors have a PR crisis.”
The Flash faced criticism from fans for its CGI, which Muschietti said was “intended” because it was “in the perspective of The Flash”. Its multiple cameos also left some in Hollywood unimpressed, including Tim Burton and Nicolas Cage, as well as Superman actor Christopher Reeve’s family.
NME gave The Flash a four-star review, with Alex Flood writing: “One of the things that makes The Flash good is how well the timey-wimey stuff works. Superhero movies often use time travel to solve some vague, universe-collapsing problem (Doctor Strange) or as an excuse to cram in actors from different series (X:Men – Days Of Future Past).
“The Flash does do a bit of the latter, but it focuses on a personal and much more relatable motive. Who wouldn’t want to stop their mum from dying? Throw in a couple of headbanging music moments paired with some seriously cool CGI and the potentially dull sci-fi element becomes the film’s strongest asset. Trust us, you’ll want to watch Barry zip about to the indie stylings of Supergrass forever.”