Oof. Warner Bros. and DC Comics’ The Flash eeked across the finish line grossing a disastrous $55.1 million over 3-days and $64 million for the 4-day Juneteenth holiday weekend and securing the #1 spot. The film brings to life the iconic superhero known for his super-speed abilities, allowing him to run, move, and think at extraordinary speeds, defying the laws of physics.
As the thirteenth film in the DC Universe, its opening weekend gross of $55.1 million ($64 million for the 4-day Juneteenth holiday weekend) positions it as the eighth-highest opener in the series.
While it was a surprise, it was not completely unanticipated. The Flash faced numerous challenges on its journey to the big screen. Director changes, pandemic-related delays, and post-production setbacks threatened the film’s release. Adding to the complications, its star, Ezra Miller, faced personal issues and legal troubles, creating a negative atmosphere around the movie. Warner Bros. and DC struggled with public relations, even considering canceling the release at one point. However, positive test screenings encouraged the studio to move forward with its planned release.
Directed by Andy Muschietti, known for his work on IT and IT Chapter 2, The Flash follows Barry Allen, the alter ego of the superhero, as he uses his powers to travel back in time and alter the course of the future. The film features notable cameos by Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Ben Affleck also as Bruce Wayne/Batman, and Michael Shannon as Zod, further enhancing the superhero ensemble, plus a few bonus cameos!
Critics have rated The Flash 66% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences have shown more enthusiasm, giving it an 85% score. The CinemaScore audiences gave it is another story. The film was rated a B which is a disaster for a film’s long-term business.
If misery loves company, then The Flash was lucky. Pixar Studios also released their 24th animated feature, Elemental, which opened with a lower-than-expected gross of $29.5 million ($33.3 million over the Juneteenth holiday weekend) took the #2 spot on the box office top ten list. Pixar, known for its consistent success, has faced challenges recently, with several releases redirected to Disney+ instead of theaters.
Elemental tells the story of Element City, where fire, water, land, and air coexist but occasionally encounter conflicts that must be resolved for harmonious living. Directed by Peter Sohn, who previously worked on The Good Dinosaur, the film received a 76% fresh critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes and an enthusiastic 92% audience score. While it may take time for Elemental to reach the success of previous Pixar films, its $200 million production budget poses a challenge in terms of profitability.
In its third weekend, Sony’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse maintained its strength, grossing $27.8 million and landing in 3rd place. The film has earned $280 million domestically in 17 days at the box office, making it the third highest-grossing film of the year.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts dropped to #4 on the list, earning $20.0 million and experiencing a steep decline of 67%. With $100.6 million domestically after 10 days, the film still outperformed its predecessors but faces challenges as the summer competition intensifies.
Disney’s The Little Mermaid secured the #5 spot at the box office, earning $11.6 million and experiencing a 50% decline from the previous weekend with a domestic total of $253.6 million and $431.2 million worldwide after 24 days.
Lionsgate kicked off the Juneteenth holiday weekend with the release of Tim Story‘s comedy acquisition, The Blackening, which grossed $6 million. Lionsgate acquired the horror comedy, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, for $5 million, with additional marketing expenses. Despite placing at #6, The Blackening had a solid opening, showcasing the audience’s appetite for this genre.
Disney and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been in theaters for 8 weeks and fans are still keeping it on the box office top ten list. The film earned $5 million this weekend and took the #7 spot on the top ten list.
The Boogeyman has only been in theaters for 3 weeks and has slipped down the box office top ten list from #5 to #8, earning $3.8 million after suffering a 47% drop in ticket sales.
In the #9 spot, the Indian epic Adipurush debuted with $2.5 million in 960 theaters. Released in two languages, the film drew attention and enthusiasm from the audience, demonstrating the global appeal of Indian cinema. Adipurush is an Indian mythological action film based on the Hindu epic Ramayana. The film is written and directed by Om Raut and produced by T-Series and Retrophiles. Shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu, the film stars Prabhas, Saif Ali Khan, Kriti Sanon, Sunny Singh and Devdatta Nage.
After 5 weeks at the box office, Fast X has slipped down to the #10 spot, after a 62% decline in viewers and earning $1.6 million for the weekend.
The Top 10
1. The Flash (WBD) NEW – Cinemascore: B; Metacritic: 56; Est. budget: $200 million
$55,100,000 in 4,234 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $13,014; Cumulative: $55,100,000
2. Elemental (Disney) NEW – Cinemascore: A-; Metacritic: 59; Est. budget: $200 million
$29,500,000 in 4,035 theaters; PTA: $7,311; Cumulative: $29,500,000
3. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony) Week 3; Last weekend #2
$27,800,000 (-50%) in 3,873 (-459) theaters; PTA: $7,178; Cumulative: $280,383,000
4. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (Paramount) Week 2; Last weekend #1
$20,000,000 (-67%) in 3,680 (+2) theaters; PTA: $5,435; Cumulative: $100,622,000
5. The Little Mermaid (Disney) Week 4; Last weekend #3
$11,600,000 (-50%) in 3,480 (-840) theaters; PTA: $3,333; Cumulative: $253,559,000
6. The Blackening (Lionsgate) NEW – Cinemascore: B+; Metacritic: 70; Est. budget: $5 million
$6,000,000 in 1,775 theaters; PTA: $3,380; Cumulative: $6,000,000
7. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Disney) Week 8; Last weekend #4
$5,000,000 (-31%) in 3,175 (-915) theaters; PTA: $2,212; Cumulative: $344,360,000
8. The Boogeyman (Disney) Week 3; Last weekend #5
$3,800,000 (-47%) in 2,140 (-965) theaters; PTA: $1,776; Cumulative: $32,768,000
9. Adipurush (Vive) NEW – Est. budget: $60 million
$(est). 2,500,000 in 960 theaters; PTA: $2,604; Cumulative: $(est.) $2,500,000
10. Fast X (Universal) Week 5; Last weekend #6; also on PVOD
$1,620,000 (-62%) in 1,550 (-1,272) theaters; PTA: $1,303; Cumulative: $142,003,000
