Andy Muschietti, the director behind the DC Extended Universe's "The Flash," has candidly shared insights on why the film underperformed at the box office. In a recent interview with Radio Tu, translated by Variety, Muschietti pinpointed the superhero movie's failure to resonate with "the four quadrants" — an industry term indicating appeal to all demographics — as a key reason behind its lackluster performance. "The Flash failed, among all the other reasons, because it wasn’t a movie that appealed to all four quadrants. It failed at that," Muschietti explained. He emphasized that with a hefty $200 million budget, Warner Bros. had expectations for the film to attract a broad audience, including even the least expected viewers, such as "your grandmother."
Muschietti also touched upon a deeper issue, suggesting that "a lot of people just don’t care about the Flash as a character," particularly noting a lack of interest among the two female quadrants. This insight, gathered from private conversations, points to a challenging headwind faced by the film.
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The director's reference to "all the other reasons" for "The Flash's" failure likely encompasses a range of issues, including negative critical reception, the heavy reliance on CGI which drew criticism, especially for recreating deceased actors without family consent, and its release timing near the conclusion of the now-defunct DC Extended Universe.
Despite these setbacks, DC Studios seems to retain confidence in Muschietti. He is reportedly set to helm "The Brave and the Bold," marking the first Batman film in the newly envisioned DC Universe by James Gunn and Peter Safran. This move indicates that while "The Flash" may have stumbled, Muschietti's journey with DC is far from over.
