Both DC’s highly anticipated superhero photo The flash and Pixar’s Elementary have their work cut out for them before they open in North American theaters on June 16, according to early tracking.
The flash, starring Ezra Miller in the titular role, is set to open in the $70 million range, according to sources with access to tracking data. Box office insiders say this is a soft figure for a movie that has been heavily promoted by Warner Brothers Discovery as the greatest superhero movie of all time. Others note that holding a movie once it opens is more important than its opening weekend gross.
End of April, The flash was the toast of CinemaCon. “It’s the best superhero movie I’ve ever seen,” David Zaslav, CEO of WBD, told theater owners before seeing the full movie.
The picture opens after a tumultuous 2022 for Miller, who was arrested multiple times and has been the subject of controversy, culminating in the actor issuing a statement in August last year apologizing for their behavior and saying they would get help for complex mental health problems. .”
Miller stars in dual roles as alternate timeline versions of the heroic speed demon Barry Allen, with Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck making splashy returns from their respective Batman roles (in Keaton’s case, it’s a return to a character he hasn’t had since 1991). played). Sasha Calle stars as Supergirl, while Michael Shannon reprises his role of General Zod from the 2013 feature film Man of Steel.
After the lukewarm display of Shazam! Anger of the Gods And Black Adam, Warner’s DC movies could use a blockbuster. At the same time, The flash is one of the last films left over from the previous regime. The studio is now run by James Gunn and Peter Safran, who are looking to relaunch the label with Gunn’s Superman: Legacy.
Warner Bros. has three weeks left to run its final marketing campaign The flashwhich means that according to insiders there is a lot of benefit in terms of generating interest and awareness.
Same for Pixar and Disney. Elementary follows even softer numbers, or $40 million domestically, according to sources.
The studio has only begun the film’s marketing campaign in earnest in recent days, including an integration with american idol. Elementary will have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this weekend.
If the tracking stays as it is, Elementary will participate The good dinosaur And Forward because it was one of the few Pixar films to open to less than $50 million (the two later films both opened to $39 million domestically). And then there were plenty of negative headlines Ratatouille opened to $47 million before transforming into a box office sensation.
Pixar, like DC, could use a win at the box office. During the pandemic, some Pixar movies were sent directly to Disney+, so the legendary animation has only released one title in theaters: Light year – since Forwardexcluding reissues. Forward opened on March 6, 2020, days before the COVID-19 crisis resulted in unprecedented theater closures. Light year was a disappointment, peaking at $226.4 million worldwide in Summer 2022.
Disney previewed 20 minutes of Elementary at CinemaCon. Directed by Peter Sohn (The good dinosaur), the film is set in Element City, where denizens of fire, water, land and air live together. The themes are connection, celebrating differences and finding your place in the world.
The story follows Ember (Leah Lewis), a tough, witty and fiery young woman whose friendship with a juicy, go-with-the-flow man named Wade (Mamoudou Athiec) questions her beliefs about the world they live in. “elements don’t mix.”
May 25, 5:20 PM: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Pixar has not released any movies in theaters since then Forward.
