‘The Flash’ bombing at the box office raises reasonable concerns about its similarities with ‘Deadpool 3’

With the theatrical debut of The Flash came a few questions, the most important of which was this — just how well would it perform at the box office? It looks like the fear that some fans had of the movie being less-than-successful is a reality, as The Flash has not performed well at the box office.

The film’s sluggish intake is ironic for a movie about a speedy hero, and given that the film’s premise is about alternate realities and multiple versions of the same character, some are now worried that the same fate will befall Deadpool 3.

The Flash‘s opening weekend reception has proven to be a massive stumble for DC, which has failed to put out a well-received film since The Batman starring Robert Pattison, and the movie isn’t even a part of the DCEU. The Flash is seemingly tripping over its own feet, and though execs and marketing were toting it as one of the greatest superhero films ever, it just hasn’t translated into ticket sales.

The plot of The Flash includes time travel, saving someone who died, creating an alternate timeline, meeting different variants of yourself, and causing a multiversal collapse — basically messing up all of reality. Though we don’t know much about the upcoming Deadpool 3 film, some similarities are already at play here. A previously released plotline for the film gave us a little insight into what may come our way, saying,

“A weary Wolverine finds himself recovering from his injuries when he comes across a loudmouth Deadpool who has time travelled forward to heal his greatest pal in the hopes to befriend the wild beast and to team up to take down a foe they both have in common.”

We have the time travel element at play (granted, it was also at play in Deadpool 2), and based on the slip that Hugh Jackman gave about playing multiple characters, we possibly also have various variants of his character. Some are worried that the misfortune that befell The Flash could also come for Deadpool 3 if audiences find this plot uninteresting.

We don’t know whether or not Deadpool 3 will break open the MCU like The Flash broke the DCEU, but a couple of things are likely on the horizon. It could potentially release the X-Men into the MCU for good, or it could simply wrap everything in a nice bow and be done with it, leaving that merge for another time.

The other fear for the upcoming movie is due to the ongoing writer’s strike. Despite Ryan Reynolds being a member of the WGA, production is going ahead with Deadpool 3, but the actor has some constraints. Reynolds excels at ad-libbing and improvising, but according to the WGA’s rules for the strike, he can’t do either. If this is the case, how on earth will the movie turn out without his famously quippy comebacks?

There are plenty of reasons why Deadpool 3 should be able to avoid the pitfalls that The Flash fell into. The lead is one of the most well-liked and bankable actors working in Hollywood right now, compared to Ezra Miller, who has been surrounded by controversy for the past few years. That and the team-up of Jackman’s Wolverine and Reynolds’ Deadpool has been long desired. In fact, fans went wild when their pairing was announced last year.

With this knowledge alone, we feel Deadpool 3 is safe, but with superhero fatigue really setting in, we will have to see if it lives up to its predecessors. Deadpool 3 is currently on track to hit theatres on May 3, 2024