In an alternate dimension within the multiverse, “The Flash” was once hailed by its own studio as an exceptional superhero film, poised to dominate the box office in its second weekend of release.
However, in this particular reality, audiences are unequivocally rejecting the Warner Bros. movie, featuring Ezra Miller as the iconic speedy hero traversing timelines. Instead of enjoying continued success, this DC comic book adventure finds itself falling behind “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and Pixar’s “Elemental,” holding onto third place by a narrow margin ahead of Jennifer Lawrence’s new R-rated comedy “No Hard Feelings.”
During the weekend, “The Flash” experienced a significant decline of 73% in its second week, earning $15.3 million from 4,265 theaters across North America. This drop is considerably steeper compared to recent DC adaptations such as “Black Adam” (59%) and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” (69%), both of which ultimately proved to be financial disappointments for the studio.
For “The Flash,” the outcome is nothing short of catastrophic, considering its whopping $200 million budget. The disappointing performance at the box office indicates that ticket sales are unlikely to recover during its theatrical run. As of now, the film has only managed to generate a lackluster $87 million domestically and $123.3 million internationally, resulting in a worldwide total of $210.9 million.
Contributing to the issue is the recent announcement by the new leaders at DC Comics, James Gunn and Peter Safran, regarding plans to revitalize the struggling comic book universe. This news has left audiences feeling uncertain and indifferent towards underwhelming tentpoles like “The Flash.” Unfortunately, this situation also casts a shadow of doubt on the fate of the two remaining DC projects currently in limbo, namely “Blue Beetle” (scheduled for Aug. 18) and Jason Momoa’s “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” (set for Dec. 20).
In a weekend filled with chaos at the box office, Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” made a surprising return to the No. 1 position (in its fourth weekend of release), raking in an impressive $19.3 million. It’s quite uncommon for a film to regain the top spot so late into its theatrical run, particularly during the busy summer movie season. To date, “Across the Spider-Verse” has accumulated $316 million in North America and a staggering $560 million worldwide.
The sequel to the “Spider-Verse” narrowly surpassed Disney and Pixar’s animated film “Elemental,” which held onto the second place with $18.5 million. This brings its domestic earnings to $65 million and global total to $121 million. Surprisingly, ticket sales in its second weekend held up better than expected, dropping by only 37% from the previous weekend. Unfortunately, “Elemental” experienced the worst opening in modern history for a Pixar film, placing a significant burden on its $200 million budget and requiring it to retain its position as the preferred choice for family audiences in order to restore confidence in the beloved Pixar brand.
Jennifer Lawrence’s risqué comedy “No Hard Feelings” debuted in the fourth position with $15 million from 3,208 theaters. While it’s not a disappointing result for a contemporary theatrical comedy, industry analysts had higher expectations for the Sony film, which carries a budget of $45 million and features one of the biggest names in Hollywood. In comparison, earlier this year, Universal’s edgy R-rated film “Cocaine Bear” managed to accumulate $23.2 million in its opening weekend, despite not having renowned stars in its lineup.
Directed by Gene Stupnitsky, “No Hard Feelings” also garnered $9.5 million from 48 international markets, showing promising performance considering that broad comedies often have limited appeal overseas.
The film revolves around Lawrence’s character, a struggling Uber driver who agrees to a Craigslist arrangement to “date” an introverted 19-year-old boy (played by newcomer Andrew Barth Feldman) before he starts college. Audiences generally enjoyed the film, as reflected in its “B+” CinemaScore rating.
According to David A. Gross, the head of movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, “No Hard Feelings” had a significant production cost of $45 million, excluding marketing expenses. This figure poses a challenge given the current box office performance.
In the fifth spot, “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” from Paramount earned an additional $11.6 million from 3,523 theaters, marking a 44% decline in its third weekend. With a production budget of $200 million, the seventh installment in the “Transformers” franchise has amassed $122.9 million domestically and $218 million internationally.
Expanding to 1,675 theaters, Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City” achieved a career-high opening of $9 million. Known for his acclaimed arthouse films such as “The Royal Tenenbaums” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Anderson’s latest offering surpassed the performance of his previous film, “The French Dispatch,” which debuted in a similar number of theaters with $2.5 million in earnings.
Set in the 1950s, “Asteroid City” depicts a fictional desert town disrupted by a cosmic event. The film features a star-studded cast including Scarlett Johansson, Jason Schwartzman, Maya Hawke, Bryan Cranston, and other regulars from Anderson’s films. Audiences, with 64% under the age of 35, gave the movie a moderate “B” CinemaScore.
Lisa Bunnell, president of distribution at Focus Features, expressed enthusiasm about Wes Anderson’s record-breaking performance at the box office, stating that the success of “Asteroid City” over the past two weekends has been both encouraging and inspiring for the specialty film market.
