While early reactions would suggest that The Flash would be one of the year’s best superhero movies, box office numbers applied a damper to that prediction fast — and it could cost the speedster his sequel.
Last week, The Wrap revealed that a sequel to The Flash was already being written and to become a reality, it would need to become a box-office success story. First-week numbers would suggest that this won’t be happening.
While it was projected to net $70 million domestically in its opening week, The Flash only managed to earn around $55 million, a substantial shortfall. Furthermore, insiders say that it would need to do numbers close to those that DC’s 2022 hit The Batman did according to The Wrap. A film that opened to a gigantic $134 million domestic take.
Of course, these initial figures don’t necessarily mean the movie won’t get a sequel. However, it does seem to make it more unlikely.
The Flash has been surrounded by controversy due to the crimes its leading star Ezra Miller has been accused of committing. Over the past 12 months DC fans have been petitioning for the star to be recast, however, Warner Bros. chose not to do so, instead keeping them in the background away from the majority of media appearances related to the film.
While it would be impossible to say that Miller is the reason for the film’s lackluster performance so far, it wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest it has played a part. Prior to the movie’s launch, initial box office projections were lowered due to the controversy.
It’s too early to say for certain that we won’t be getting a sequel to The Flash, but if the box office continues to perform like this then its fate does not look promising.