Summary
After a disappointing theatrical run,The Flashhit another negative milestone for the DCEU. The news comes as the film struggles to recoup its losses via alternative releases.
Based on the eponymous character from DC Comics and adapting the popularFlashpointstoryline,The Flashwas set up as the final film of the old DC Extended Universe as it had existed under Zack Snyder, with new DCU headJames Gunn confirmingThe Flashwould reboot the franchise. It follows an older Barry Allen, who accidentally discovers his ability to travel back in time and uses it to prevent his mother’s death against Batman’s warnings. In doing so, he strands himself in an alternate past that he’s inadvertently doomed to destruction, and he must overcome his mistakes and come to terms with his mother’s death to save the day.
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After previewing to mixed critical reception,The Flashscored lower than expectedat the box office during its opening weekend despite conservative estimates, leading to a massive loss for the company and complicating the planned transition from the old DCEU to the new Gunn/Safran-led DCU. As its theatrical run ends with a disappointing tally, many have realized thatThe Flashhas added one more negative statistic to its long list.The Directreports thatThe Flashhas officially broken the record for the longest delay between theatrical release and availability on streaming services since the launch of HBO Max (now Max) with a frustrating 77 days post-release with no streaming availability.
While it hasn’t been out for 77 days,The Flashdid not feature on the platform’s content additions for August, meaning that the earliest possible time frame would be in September, ensuring that it will hit and exceed 77 days with no streaming platform presence.Shazam! Fury of the Gods,which had a box office performance worse than expected, held the previous 67-day post-release record. Other films, likeShazam!spin-offBlack Adamand Elseworlds projectThe Batmantook significantly less time to release on streaming, while 2021 projectsWonder Woman 1984andThe Suicide Squadwerereleased theatrically and on streaming simultaneously due to the company’s pandemic-era strategy
Despite its disastrous theatrical run,The Flashfinally found a victory beyond theatreswith its availability on video-on-demand services like iTunes, Google Play, and Vudu at a $19.99 price point, likely helping the studio recoup some of the losses from the cinematic outing. WithThe Flashmanaging to rise to the top spot on these services, it is possible that the delayed release on regular home streaming services could be a strategic choice to ride the video-on-demand wave as long as possible and maximize direct earnings from the film. Whether there is any real merit to that strategy can best be seen by insiders at Warner Bros. Discovery, who are likely to act in the more profitable direction.
While the latest one is the most tragic failure of the lot, the final stretch of the DCEU has seen several bad outings, leading many to question justhow many flops WBD can survive afterThe Flash’s failurebefore things go critical. While the rebooted DCU looks set to start fresh and save the IPs and fan interest in DC movies, the last 2 Snyder-era projects,Blue BeetleandAquaman 2,are on shaky ground.
