(Image source: Warner Bros. Pictures)
Two years ago, "The Flash," a film from the former DC Universe, became a major summer box office disappointment. Produced with a budget exceeding $200 million, its global box office barely reached $270 million. After accounting for marketing costs and theatrical splits, the film essentially lost money. While many attributed "The Flash's" failure to lead actor Ezra Miller's ongoing legal scandals and fan backlash against the impending DC Universe reboot, director Andy Muschietti offers a different perspective.
(Image source: Warner Bros. Pictures)
In a recent interview with Radio TU, Muschietti analyzed the factors he believes contributed to "The Flash's" poor box office performance. He first acknowledged Miller's public relations crisis, stating that the film's failure was a result of mental health issues. He explained that Miller was dealing with mental health problems, and when making a film, some things are beyond a director's control, such as an actor facing a PR crisis. Muschietti noted Miller's troubles, including arrests in Hawaii. Despite this, he described his experience working with Miller as enjoyable, praising him as a great actor and comedian, and expressing his amazement at Miller's talent. Ultimately, Muschietti found himself caught up in the controversy.
Muschietti then added that, setting aside other reasons, the film itself was not a four-quadrant movie, and that was its downfall. He remarked that when a film costs $200 million, Warner Bros. wants to get everyone, even your grandma, into theaters. However, he discovered in a private conversation that many people simply didn't care about The Flash as a character, especially female audiences across two quadrants, which completely defied his understanding.
(Image source: Pinterest)
Muschietti's reference to "four quadrants" refers to Hollywood's industry standard for audience segmentation: males over 25, males under 25, females over 25, and females under 25. His mention of "female audiences across two quadrants" implies that all female viewers were largely uninterested in The Flash. Despite the box office struggles, "The Flash" didn't receive terrible reviews; many critics and audiences felt the film maintained a certain level of quality overall.
During the same Radio TU interview, Muschietti also discussed his "multi-season" plans for the upcoming "It" prequel series, "It: Welcome to Derry."
via： Radio TU