The Flash is now out of the starting blocks and the numbers are in for the Thursday night preview screenings. Warner Bros. had sky-high expectations for Barry Allen’s first solo adventure, with the movie bolstered by leaning heavily on Batman in the marketing.
As per Deadline, this tactic appears to have paid off and the movie has already scored a healthy $9m in previews. This puts it in line with movies like Venom, Doctor Strange and Aquaman. Projections are putting The Flash on scoring a $70-75 million opening weekend, though optimists are putting it in the $80 million territory.
All that said, there are a few hurdles in the way of success. The ongoing writers’ strike has affected late-night talk shows meaning the stars can’t promote the movie there, and there’s a notable backlash on social media against the movie’s notably poor CGI.
We saw The Flash on an early screening this week and were left distinctly underwhelmed by the movie, and a glance at r/DC_Cinematic and DC-focused social media channels indicates we’re not alone. If this really does spiral, it could affect the movie’s word-of-mouth, particularly as many are still reluctant to fork out for an Ezra Miller movie after, well y’know, all those crimes they did.
Warner Bros. doesn’t seem concerned though, as proven by its naming The Flash director Andy Muschietti as helming the upcoming DCU Batman movie The Brave and the Bold. If The Flash unexpectedly stumbles this weekend, it may regret making that announcement early but, despite everything, things are looking sunny for the Scarlet Speedster right now.