Warner Bros.’ The Flash has finally come to theatres, after a gestation process that was much longer and more controversial than the studio likely intended. With pre-release social media buzz hyping it up and solid, sometimes glowing reviews, it seemed like the multiversal action movie could make a big splash in theatres. And the actual reality turns out to be…ehhhhhh?
At time of writing, Variety reports the superhero flick has the number one spot here in the US, albeit with a current $US55.1 million gross. By the time the four-day weekend wraps, it’s expected hit on or around $US64 million, which puts it below both the $US75-85 million projections that were reported ahead of release, and the $US67 million start of last year’s Black Adam. With an additional $US75 million from international audiences, its current worldwide total is $US139 million. And with so much of the film’s release weekend covered up in talks about its VFX and some of its cameos, the movie might not have much in the way of legs over the next several weeks.
Beyond The Flash, there were two other big movies that had widespread releases this weekend. In second place was Pixar’s Elemental at $US29.5 million domestically and is projected for a global take of $US45 million. Though the film has gotten good impressions from those who’ve seen it, it’s been hit with mixed reviews and also has to contend with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse still in theatres and the Super Mario Bros. Movie coming to physical and streaming. As it stands, this is the lowest domestic box office for Pixar — which recently saw job cuts ahead of the movie’s release — since 2015’s The Good Dinosaur and 2020’s Onward both opened to $US39 million.
Finally, Lionsgate’s The Blackening hit sixth place at $US6 million in the US. Ahead of release, the comedy slasher movie got good reviews and worth of mouth, with most of the latter from black celebrities on social media. Coming out on Juneteenth weekend has also probably helped it out, but at time time of writing, it’s not clear if the movie will have an international release.
Next week is empty in terms of genre fare, but the weekend of June 30 features three big movies. With Indiana Jones & the Dial of Destiny, Disney is trying to court the nostalgia crowd and the overlapping Harrison Ford fanbase) to bring the series to some kind of close, while Dreamworks’ Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken will try to bring kids the spectacle of seeing teenage kaiju punching giant mermaids in the face. On the streaming front, the once-cancelled Nimona movie finally comes to Netflix, and from the sound of things, it’s pretty rad.
Want more Gizmodo news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.