Box office: ‘The Flash’ opens for $55 million

DC and Warner Bros.” Long-in-the-making superhero flick “The Flash” opened to $55 million in its first three days in North American theaters, according to studio estimates on Sunday.

While it’s a decent amount by normal standards, it’s a significant jump from DC’s last release, the “Shazam!” sequel, and enough for a first-place start, it’s also dampened by superhero standards where $100 million debut weekends are almost commonplace.

It’s been a busy weekend at the multiplex overall. In addition to “The Flash,” there was the new Pixar family movie “Elemental” and the horror comedy “The Blackening.” Its only major win was Wes Anderson’s star-studded “Asteroid City,” which earned $720,000 in just six theaters and garnered the highest per-theater average ($132,211) since the pandemic began.

“The Flash” faced more complications than market conditions. It’s been in the headlines many times over the past year, not because of the movie itself, but because of star Ezra Miller’s off-screen troubles, including arrests, erratic behavior, and allegations of wrongdoing. Miller has apologized and said they are seeking mental health treatment. They also deflected from participating in the normal publicity circuit, except for the premiere.

The studio’s leadership remained optimistic about releasing their $200 million film, but was confident in its quality and importance to future DC Studios storylines. The film introduces the multiverse, returning Michael Keaton’s Batman in a film that also featured Ben Affleck’s Batman.

Going into the weekend, analysts expected “The Flash” to make at least $70 million in its first three days, playing at 4,234 locations domestically. Now it is expected to bring in $64 million in the first four, including Monday’s Juneteenth holiday. Internationally, it made $75 million, giving it a worldwide start of $139 million.

Critics were mixed, but more positive than not, with 67 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. AP’s Jocelyn Noveck wrote in her review that despite some “lightly clever and entertaining” moments, “the final act bogs down in what feels like an endless, generic CGI battle and sink fix.”

Audiences surveyed for CinemaScore only gave the film a B, which historically was not good news for its word-of-mouth potential and longevity. But there’s a gap in the schedule before the next big blockbuster comes in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” which comes out June 30. Next week’s biggest offering is the R-rated Jennifer Lawrence comedy “No Hard Feelings” and the nationwide expansion of “Asteroid City.”

Second place went to “Elemental” with an estimated $29.5 million from 4,035 locations in North America – a new low for Pixar’s three-day openings. Before that, that title belonged to “The Good Dinosaur” and “Onward,” both of which debuted at $39 million. “

“Elemental” was greeted positively by critics, with 76 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences (A CinemaScore). AP’s Jake Coyle wrote that it’s “probably in the lower half” of the Pixar cannon, but “genuinely and cleverly, with a touch of dazzle,” it’s “closer to rekindling some of the old Pixar magic than some recent entries.” $15 million from 17 international territories, “Elemental” launched for $44.5 million worldwide.

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” was a very close third, in its third weekend, with $27.8 million. Sony predicts the domestic total will have reached $285 million through Monday.

“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” dropped a steep 67 percent in its second weekend, netting $20 million to take fourth place. “The Little Mermaid” settled into fifth place in its fourth weekend with $11.6 million.

“The Blackening” was the other big release this weekend — a little counter-programming to the bigger brand releases with an original horror-comedy about a group of black friends who get together for a weekend getaway and find themselves on the run from a killer. Lionsgate and MRC purchased the $5 million film from director Tim Story after it received positive reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival. Released in 1,775 theaters, “The Blackening” made an estimated $6 million.