The hype surrounding “The Flash” was palpable this spring. DC Studios co-chief James Gunn called the film one of the best superhero movies he’d ever seen, and some fans felt the movie would be able to lift DC to new moviemaking heights thanks to its humor, action and universe-resetting themes.
Viewers will be able to judge for themselves just how successful the movie was in achieving these goals on Friday, Aug. 25, when “The Flash” makes its way to streaming on Max. That means it will be available to stream 70 days after its initial theatrical release on June 16.
Worlds collide in “The Flash” when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. That is, unless a certain retiree by the name of Bruce Wayne can be convinced to help him…
“The Flash” is coming to streaming far earlier than The Streamable predicted. Our estimated date of a mid-October streaming debut was based on the presumption that the movie would live up to at least some of its hype, but that simply did not happen. Critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes scored the movie reasonably well, but it made less than $300 million in theaters against a budget of $200 million or more, making it a bona fide disaster financially for Warner Bros. Discovery.
WBD setting the premiere date for “The Flash” on Aug. 25 means that none of the past three DC movies have gotten longer than a 70-day stretch in theaters before heading to streaming. “Black Adam” was in theaters for 56 days before moving to streaming, and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” headed to Max 67 days after debuting in theaters. WBD CEO David Zaslav has made no secret about his feelings regarding allowing films to generate maximum financial returns in theaters before moving to streaming, so the fact that DC features can’t seem to find traction among cinema-going audiences must be frustrating.
Perhaps the upcoming “Blue Beetle” will break the cycle, though The Streamable predicts that that movie will also be in theaters for 70 days before heading to streaming. James Gunn and Peter Safran clearly have some work to do if they want to make DC a winning franchise for WBD in the next few years.
Max
Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library, along with exclusive Max Originals. There are hubs for content from TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TCM, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, ID, and more. Watch hit series like “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon,” “Succession,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and more. Thanks to the B/R Sports add-on, users can watch NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.