Predictions for The Flash’s first weekend box office are approaching Black Adam’s, which is worrying for the next DC film. The Flash is one of DC’s biggest projects in recent years, as it stars not only Barry Allen, but other popular DC superheroes as well. In addition to Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen, The Flash features Ben Affleck’s Batman, Michael Keaton’s Batman, Michael Shannon’s General Zod, and Sasha Calle’s first Supergirl. The Flash has a budget of around $200 million.
Variety is now reporting that The Flash is expected to gross around $70 million in its US opening weekend, which would bring it closer to Black Adam’s $68 million opening. The Dwayne Johnson-starring film promised the start of a new DC universe, but failed to secure a sequel after ending its theatrical release with a gross of $393 million. If The Flash opens around $70 million, it’s going to have to hold strong to avoid a Black Adam-like situation.
The main difference between The Flash and Black Adam is that the former one is getting better reviews than the latter. The Flash premiered at CinemaCon 2023, nearly two months before the film’s release date. Similarly, several advance screenings of The Flash were held in the weeks prior to the film’s premiere. As a result, early reactions to The Flash helped build an early positive word-of-mouth reception.
Currently, The Flash holds a 69% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while Black Adam holds a 38% rating. The mixed-to-moderately positive reviews of The Flash means that DC’s multiverse epic may have a longer runtime than Black Adam, which should help it avoid box office failure. That said, with a reported budget of at least $200 million, The Flash needs to gross at least $450 million to break even.
The fact that The Flash finishes its box office run with Black Adam-like numbers will be bad news for DC. A better number for The Flash would be like The Batman’s gross, which grossed $770 million worldwide after a $128.5 million domestic opening weekend. As The Flash releases worldwide, audience reaction will determine how DC’s big summer movie performs.
Source: Variety