Looks Like The Flash Won't Be a Disaster After All, Despite Its Budget Skyrocketing
After years of delays, directorial changes, and off-screen incidents, DC Studios' The Flash will finally be released in June 2023. And according to reported test screenings, it's going to be good.
Results from recent test screenings have been overwhelmingly positive. Deadline reported that one test audience member said it was on the level of Spider-Man: No Way Home – the biggest movie of 2021. The Hollywood Reporter said test screenings were on par with Christopher Nolan 's Dark Knight series, which includes some of the most critically praised superhero movies in history.
DC's last five movies have struggled at the box office, without a film grossing over $400 million since 2018's billion-dollar Aquaman ( though two of those movies were released mid-pandemic). The latest, Black Adam, is currently at $390 million against a whopping $200 million budget.
With The Flash 's budget reportedly at about $300 million (only seven movies have been that expensive), The Flash needs to pull in audiences if it's going to make a profit.
Based on its comparison to No Way Home, the sixth-highest-grossing movie of all time, those positive test screenings should give DC some hope. Like No Way Home, The Flash will be a multiversal epic, bringing back actors from past versions of characters.
The Flash will have Ezra Miller returning as Barry Allen/The Flash, who travels back in time to prevent the murder of his mother, wreaking chaos on the multiverse's timeline. Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, and Jason Momoa have all filmed scenes as Superman, Batman, and Aquaman.
The most anticipated appearance will be that of Michael Keaton, who played the original Batman in Tim Burton's series thirty years ago. He will be continuing his previous role in an alternate universe from the DCEU. Other past actors – including a CGI version of Christopher Reeve – have been rumored.
Warner Bros. had been working on a Flash movie for decades, with names like Ryan Reynolds and Adam Brody attached at different points. When the DC Extended Universe began in the 2010s, tentative plans began for a 2016 release. After Ezra Miller starred as the speedster in 2017's Justice League, DC aimed for a 2021 release. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the release date back months at a time before settling on 2023. With the positive reactions to test screenings, it was officially moved up to June 16, 2023.
Miller had several controversies in the past few years, leading to fans wondering if the film would be shelved to an HBO Max exclusive release or cancelled altogether. He publically apologized and has recently avoided the negative spotlight.
Despite the massive budget, delays, and Miller's legal issues, The Flash seems poised to become one of the DCEU's biggest films to date.