The Huge DC Superhero Movie Flop That Found A Second Life On Netflix
Financially, it’s no secret that “The Flash” was a huge flop, and its commercial failure will likely dominate the conversation surrounding its legacy. But it’s quite interesting that audiences rejected the film considering what the project was set out to be. In “The Flash,” Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) goes back in time to stop his mom (Maribel Verdú) from being murdered. In trying to do so, he ends up dealing with the multiverse, coming across Michael Keaton’s Batman and Sasha Calle’s Supergirl. The release was ostensibly trying to recreate the magic of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which successfully introduced several versions of Peter Parker in one huge project.
“The Flash” features a whopping three Batmen (Keaton, Ben Affleck, and… George Clooney) and did a decent enough job of trying to create a compelling, emotional multiverse romp. If the film was a success, then DC would have pivoted its entire trajectory to accommodate its financial (and critical) achievements. Keaton’s Batman was meant to be the DCEU’s Nick Fury, but that obviously didn’t happen. The film’s failure doesn’t exist in a vacuum, however. The year 2023 saw DC also release flops in the form of “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and “Blue Beetle.”
Following its 2023 slate’s much-pronounced failure, Warner Bros. decided to just outright abandon the DC Extended Universe, handing over the keys of the kingdom to filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran. Under their leadership, the DC franchise is being completely retooled and rebooted, with their first major project being “Superman,” which debuts in summer 2025.