The Flash: A Costly Misstep
The Flash has become one of Hollywood's costliest failures, adding to Warner Bros. Discovery's string of disappointments, such as Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Black Adam. Since Aquaman's success five years ago, the DCEU has struggled to find another hit, excluding Robert Pattinson's portrayal of The Batman. Warner Bros.' unwavering support for Ezra Miller, despite the allegations against him, sets them apart from other studios. However, The Flash's lackluster visual appeal and Miller's controversial past contribute to its failure. While this may cause short-term pain for studios, the collapse of these blockbusters serves as a wake-up call for the entire movie industry.
A Series of Box Office Flops
In recent years, numerous high-profile films, including Elemental, Lightyear, and Strange World, have failed to recoup their production costs. Disney, too, has experienced disappointments with underperforming films like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, despite the MCU's unparalleled success.
Now, The Flash joins the ranks of these financial disasters, plunging Warner Bros. into further financial turmoil. This DC adaptation, reportedly costing $200 million to produce, excluding marketing expenses, has generated only $337 million worldwide thus far. Considering the substantial costs associated with production and marketing, studios often spend as much on marketing as they do on film production. Therefore, breaking even is insufficient.
Hollywood's Wake-Up Call
The summer of 2023 exposes the excessive budgets, unappealing CGI, and overreliance on intellectual property that plague Hollywood. Failures like The Flash, The Little Mermaid, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny underscore the necessity for change. The industry faces a crisis, and while studios may suffer short-term consequences, the collapse of these blockbusters is a blessing and an opportunity for the industry.
We live in an era driven by capitalist ideals, which has propelled Hollywood's growth. However, this trajectory is unsustainable. The fact that films like The Flash, Little Mermaid, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny receive a $200 million budget but resemble creations from the PlayStation 1 era reveals the industry's flawed model.
The summer of 2023 marks a turning point for Hollywood's reliance on exorbitant budgets and established intellectual property. Although studios may endure immediate hardships, these failures ultimately benefit the industry. In due time, the box office failures of films like The Flash will be remembered fondly as signs of positive change within the movie industry.
Featured image via Warner Bros. Pictures.
