Why The Flash “failed,” according to the director

One of the last entries in the The DCEU was The Flashwhich was the cash register flopped after grossing just $271 million.

Director Andy Muschietti knows it failed, too may have a reason why. During an interview with Radio TU (via DiscussingFilm on X, formerly Twitter), Muschietti reflected on the film. The failure may have been due to the fact that it was not a “four quadrant” blockbuster and the title character was not popular enough to carry the film.

“The Flash failed, apart from all other reasons, because it wasn’t a movie that appealed to the four quadrants.” It didn’t work,” he said. “When you spend $200 million to make a movie, Warner Bros. wants to bring even your grandmother into theaters.”

“I’ve learned in private conversations that a lot of people just don’t care for The Flash as a character, especially the two female quadrants.” “It’s all a headwind for the film I’ve come to know about,” he continued.

Anyway, The Flash was one of the last versions of the DCEU before its reboot. James Gunn and Peter Safran lead the DCU, which will introduce new versions of heroes such as Batman, Superman, Supergirl and possibly the Flash.

At least Muschietti is still busy after The Flash. He developed the IT prequel series Welcome to Derry for HBO, which will premiere in 2025.

Was The Flash a failure?

Unfortunately, The Flash was a failure for the DCEU and Warner Bros. Making just $271 million on a blockbuster movie budget won’t cut it.

Blue bug and Aquaman and the Los Kingdom it was followed by The Flash in 2023. Both also flopped at the box office, grossing just $130 million and $439 million, respectively. Earlier this year, Shazam! Fury of the Gods also flopped, grossing $134 million worldwide. 2023 was a bad year for DC movies.

The Flash was Ezra Miller’s first solo adventure as Barry Allen. He teamed them up with Bruce Wayne/Michael Keaton’s Batman. It also starred Sasha Kale, Michael Shannon and Ron Livingston. Keaton’s return was significant, as he had not played the role since 1992’s Batman Returns.

Previously, Miller was introduced to the DCEU as Barry Allen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. He would later appear in Suicide Squad and Justice League (and the Zack Snyder-directed Justice League sequel). Miller also had a cameo in the DCEU series Peacemaker.

Muschietti directed The Flash, while his wife Barbara produced it. The script was written by Christina Hodson, who previously wrote Bumblebee and the DCEU film Birds of Prey.