The Flash officially becomes biggest flop in superhero cinema history

In this day and age it seems that any cinema movie released based upon a popular superhero franchise is a surefire win, right? Well, not if you’re The Flash it seems.

Alongside Batman, Superman, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman and Hal Jordan, Barry Allen aka The Flash is not only one of the most popular characters in DC, but he’s also one of the leading members of the Justice League, so his name carries a lot of weight.

Check out The Flash trailer below!

So when a big-budget movie based on this comic book superhero arrives on the silver screen, it should be a smash at the global box office as proven with the likes of Aquaman, The Dark Knight Rises, Joker, Batman v Superman, and more.

Sadly, back in June 2023, the signs of The Flash becoming a box office flop were on the table after it saw a massive drop by 72% during its second week earning just $15 million in comparison to its still underwhelming $55 million from its opening weekend.

Unfortunately for The Flash starring the controversial Ezra Miller, it’s got a lot worse for the DC speedster, because it is now the biggest flop in superhero cinema history. As reported by our friends at UNILAD, now that The Flash has officially ended its cinema run, the final box office numbers are in and it is very woeful, to say the least.

The Flash had a reported combined budget of $370 million, which was split into $220 million for the movie itself and a further $150 million for promotion. However, it’s now been reported that Warner Bros. who owns the movie property has lost around $200 million, resulting in The Flash becoming the biggest financial loss for any superhero movie. To compare notes, Shazam! Fury of the Gods is also considered to be a flop, but even that made an estimated $50 million more than The Flash.

In terms of critical reception, while The Flash hasn't blown it out of the water, it’s also not the worst-reviewed superhero movie either. On Rotten Tomatoes, The Flash scored 64% from critics and 83% from the audience. Whereas on Metacritic, it scored a more underwhelming 56 from critics and 5.6 from users. If you want to catch a good Flash product, I can recommend the CW series starring the endlessly charming Grant Gustin.

The Flash is available now via digital home release and arrives in its physical form on 18 September 2023. If you were hoping that The Flash movie would get a sequel, we wouldn't recommend holding your breath, unless a James Gunn reboot can save the day.