THE FLASH And ELEMENTAL Fail At Weekend Box Office
By Movieguide® Contributor
Superhero movies and Pixar projects are usually huge moneymakers, but THE FLASH and ELEMENTAL’s recent weekend debuts tell a different story.
THE FLASH made just $55 million during its opening weekend, while ELEMENTAL came in at $29.5 million. According to Variety, projections for both movies’ box office takings were already low, but the actual totals fell even shorter.
In the last few years, THE FLASH is the third stumble from DC Studios — BLACK ADAM opened at $67 million against a $200 million budget, while SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS opened with just $30 million.
THE FLASH tar Ezra Miller is a controversial figure — over the last few years, the actor has been the focus of legal troubles and allegations of assault. This led DC Studios to keep Miller from doing any sort of press for THE FLASH and certainly has a part to play in its poor reception.
However, the studio is also learning that content matters to families.
A portion of Movieguide®’s review reads:
THE FLASH is well-paced and plotted, with lots of excitement and plenty of humor. The movie has several stirring, heartfelt moments. Including Michael Keaton’s Batman in the movie was a stroke of genius. THE FLASH has a strong moral, redemptive worldview promoting loving your parents, protecting life from evil forces, courage, doing the right thing, and sacrifice. However, it has one “f” word, some other strong obscenities, a brief risqué moment, lots of action violence, and a reference to Fate. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution.
Disney is no stranger to underperforming at the box office. Last year, they posted to of their biggest box office bombs to date with LIGHTYEAR and STRANGE WORLD. ELEMENTAL, unfortunately, is also struggling due to its content. A portion of the Movieguide® review reads:
ELEMENTAL tells a funny, charming, ultimately heartwarming story. The story stresses several moral, redemptive themes like overcoming prejudice, family, owning a business, and sacrifice. There’s also a heartwarming resolution to the conflict between Ember and her father. However, the movie alludes to identity politics. Also, although the movie features four major heterosexual couples, Wade’s sister has a girlfriend. Finally, Ember’s mother is a fortune teller who specializes in matchmaking. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution for ELEMENTAL.
Some are also pointing to Disney+ as a reason audiences aren’t heading to the theaters. Disney puts their content on the streaming service shortly after a theater debut, so many subscribers prefer to wait and watch at home.
THE FLASH and ELEMENTAL’s struggles at the box office are an indicator that audiences are looking for new ideas and better stories when it comes to movies.
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