“The Flash” is racing into theaters this week! The newest film from the DC Comics Extended Universe is holding the standard Thursday preview screenings ahead of its official theatrical release date on Friday, June 16.
When his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry Allen becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. In order to save the world that he finds himself in, and return to the future that he knows, Barry’s only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?
Reviews are calling the movie the best DC outing in years, and it currently holds a 68% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film’s audience score sits at 95%, which bodes well for DC Studios co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran as they take the helm of the thus-far wayward franchise.
Watch a Trailer for ‘The Flash’:
Between coordinating schedules with friends and ensuring the snack budget is big enough, a trip to the theaters can seem like a superhuman effort these days. Despite those challenges, Warner Bros. Discovery did not make “The Flash” a day-and-date streaming release, and it will be exclusively available in theaters for the foreseeable future.
How long will that future be? Ultimately that answer depends on the whims of WBD executives, although at least we can say for sure that “The Flash” will join its DC colleagues on Max when it does leave theaters. Past DC releases can be somewhat instructive in formulating an educated guess.
“Black Adam” was a certified box-office bomb for WBD, pulling in less than $400 million worldwide, but the film still took 56 days to reach streaming after its theatrical debut. “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” flopped even harder, becoming the lowest-grossing DC movie since 2013 by managing to make just $133.4 million. Even so, it took 67 days to arrive on Max, and may have been held back longer if it had not been used as one of the marquee new releases on the service when WBD sunsetted HBO Max on May 23.
Given the hype WBD has built up around “The Flash,” and considering how much critical and audience enthusiasm has been demonstrated for the film, it would be surprising to see it head to streaming sooner than 120 days after its initial release. That would put its arrival date on Max on or around Saturday, Oct. 14, just in time for WBD to remind kids that DC heroes make for an excellent Halloween costume.
Max
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