Are audiences tiring of DC’s antics? 

I have some bad news for fans of The Flash. The film is a Box Office failure. It has grossed less than $150 million worldwide after two weeks.

To put things into perspective, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 made $118 million on its opening weekend. Are we placing too much emphasis on the earnings of a movie that has not even been out for three weeks? Not necessarily.

First, a movie’s initial earnings speak volumes about its popularity. Guardians 3 made $118m on its opening weekend because people could not wait to see it. It went on to make $823 million worldwide because audiences loved what they saw.

The Flash made $55m on its opening weekend, proving that interest in the film was almost nonexistent. Secondly, these big-budget movies make the most money when they debut, because everyone that cares watches them during that first week.

You want your film to secure the biggest possible opening because those figures will fall with each passing week. For instance, Guardians 3 made $62m in its second week, which is excellent for a film that opened with $118m. What do you think a movie with a $55 million opening made in its second week? Things don’t look good for The Flash.

Why is The Flash destined to lose money? Well, you can’t separate Ezra Miller from this equation. Many people promised to boycott the film because of Miller’s antics. It looks like they kept that promise. Social media posts about The Flash are choked with comments from viewers proudly proclaiming that they have not watched it.

They will watch it for free when it comes to streaming. But they refuse to boost the movie’s cinematic run. Then again, they are the minority. Casual viewers don’t even know who Ezra Miller is, let alone what he has done.

So why are they giving the film a wide berth?

I will say the unpopular thing: this film was not good. Yes, yes, many of you were blown away; I have seen the reviews. Some viewers have elevated it above the likes of Man of Steel and Avengers. Apparently, The Flash is one of the best comic book films they have ever seen.

Well, you are entitled to your opinion, but I also think you are high. The Flash was average at best. The CGI was questionable. The finale was shockingly dull; it never gelled. I kept waiting for that joyous string of action scenes you see in most blockbuster finales, the kind that links various explosive bits into one harmonious moment of awesomeness that makes you scream. It never came.

Probably because the two Barrys kept stopping to talk. It disrupted the flow. The emotional moments have some heft. But overall, I was disappointed, and I don’t think I was the only one. Although, if you ask me to point to the one factor that definitively killed the film, I would probably blame the string of disappointing DCEU films that came before.

After Wonder Woman 84, Black Adam, and Shazam, audiences are tired of DC. The brand is tainted. People don’t trust Warner Bros. If you don’t believe me, consider this. Antman and the Wasp: Quantamania made $476m worldwide.

While that is still low, ‘Quantamania’ made more than ‘Black Adam’ and ‘Shazam: Fury of the Gods.’ It will also make more than ‘The Flash.’ And yet, ‘Quantamania’ is worse than any DC film I’ve seen in the last two years.

People will give Marvel the benefit of the doubt, but not DC. What does that mean? James Gunn is right. It is time to reboot. They need to scrap everything and start afresh. Let’s hope that Gunn can succeed where Zack Snyder failed.

mbjjnr8@gmail.com