The Flash Is Set For A Painful 70+ Percent Drop In Its Second Weekend At The Box Office
After a dismal opening weekend, the one thing that might have saved "The Flash" was if it somehow managed to maintain a strong hold in subsequent weeks, making up the shortfall by playing the long game. But with Friday's numbers now in, it looks like the movie is going to do ... well, the opposite of that.
According to The Hollywood Reporter and The Wrap, industry estimates point to "The Flash" dropping more than 70 percent in its second weekend at the box office, grossing somewhere between $14 million and $16 million. Steep drop-offs aren't unusual for superhero movies, given their event vibes and fans' eagerness to avoid spoilers. However, unlike something like "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," which dropped 67 percent in its second weekend, "The Flash" did not get the massive debut that superhero movies typically enjoy as a result of that first weekend rush. "Multiverse of Madness" faced its second weekend drop from the very comfortable platform of a $187 million opening weekend, compared to just $55 million for "Flash."
We've dissected the reasons why "The Flash" bombed at the box office elsewhere, so a big drop was expected. Still, depending on how the numbers shake out, "The Flash" could end up battling "Morbius" for the unenviable record of biggest ever second-weekend drop for a tentpole superhero movie. (The Living Vampire suffered a 73.8 percent drop in his own second weekend last year. Apparently it wasn't Morbin' time after all.)
The road ahead for DC Studios
DC movies are in a bit of an odd place right now. Last year, DC Films was rebranded as DC Studios and the DC Extended Universe dropped the "Extended" part from its branding in favor of the cleaner, simpler "DC Universe." After saying farewell to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," filmmaker James Gunn is now focused on putting together a new roadmap of DC content. Earlier this year, Gunn and his DC Studios co-boss Peter Safran announced a slate of film and TV projects for the DC Universe including "Superman: Legacy," "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow," and "The Batman: Part II."
Before that arrives, however, there are a couple of leftover projects from the DCEU that, like "The Flash," exist in a strange sort of limbo between the old and the new. First up is "Blue Beetle," from director Angel Manuel Soto, which stars Xolo Maridueña ("Cobra Kai") as Jaime Reyes, a young man who accidentally becomes bonded to a symbiotic scarab that covers his body with a suit of armor. "Blue Beetle" has the benefit of not really having any connections to the DCEU. Instead, the movie has a chance to sink or swim on its own merits.
"Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," releasing in December, is a bit more complicated. The first "Aquaman" movie was one of the DCEU's biggest success stories, grossing $1.148 billion worldwide by the end of its run. However, more than 70 percent of that was made overseas, including $291 million in China alone. "Aquaman" actually had a pretty modest domestic opening weekend of $67 million.
"The Lost Kingdom" has a couple of things going for it. There's star Jason Momoa, whose entertaining villain turn in "Fast X" was recently praised as one of the best elements of the movie. Then there's director James Wan, returning from the first movie, who has a steady string of hits under his belt, from "The Conjuring" to "Furious 7." Between them, they might be able to deliver one last triumph for the DCEU before the DC Universe kicks off in earnest.