The Flash's Max Numbers Spell Disaster For Ezra Miller's DC Hero

2023 has been nothing short of a disaster for the DC Extended Universe. The iconic franchise has cratered, delivering back-to-back box office failures and critical misfires. In March, "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" bowed to mediocre reviews and disappointing box office receipts, the Zachary Levi-starring film barely grossing $130 million. And while August's "Blue Beetle" has its fans, it also failed to create confidence in the franchise's profitability, earning just $127 million.

Wedged between the sophomore "Shazam!" and "Blue Beetle" was Ezra Miller's "The Flash," a film that will be remembered more for the narrative surrounding it than its own inherent quality. Meant to "reboot" the DC timeline, the project was widely touted as one of the greatest superhero films of all time prior to its release — in fact, Tom Cruise allegedly loved "The Flash" so much that he called director Andy Muschietti to rave about it. While Warner Bros.' PR works hard, however, the devil works harder — "The Flash" bombed at the box office, earning just over $270 million.

Within weeks, the speedster's solo theatrical flick all but disappeared from theaters, hitting Max shortly thereafter, where it's failed to make an impression with fans. Nielsen, a firm that measures what Americans watch, has determined that "The Flash" is pretty much dead on arrival on the streaming service, with only 392 million minutes viewed in its first week. Industry analyst Luiz Fernando broke down the news on X, formerly known as Twitter, pointing out that this number is among the franchise's lowest. Seems like "The Flash" can't catch a break.

Boasting an infectious and exciting multiversal narrative, the return of Michael Keaton's Batman, and the introduction of several beloved characters, including Supergirl (Sasha Calle), "The Flash" was meant to be nothing short of a win. In short, it aspired to be Warner Bros.' "Spider-Man: No Way Home," a film that banks on nostalgia and current superhero trends. Unfortunately, the DC Studios equivalent's release was defined by passiveness and ultimately amounted to nothing more than a disappointment.

But what truly speaks to the film's failure, at least in communicating with a viable audience, is how it's barely receiving airtime on Max. While 392 million minutes watched sounds great on the surface, this pales in comparison to other films that were released during the same period, such as Adam Sandler's "You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah." After debuting in the top spot, it raked in nearly twice as many minutes watched (715 million) in its second week as did "The Flash," which only dropped in viewership (360 million).