‘The Flash’ Dazzles Exhibitors At CinemaCon: “Emotional…Some People Crying…The Movie Will Have Legs”
26.04.2023 - 04:07
/ deadline.com
Warner Bros. has no worries in The Flash.
The studio knew they had the goods on the DC multiverse movie which brings together Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton’s Batman, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, Michael Shannon’s General Zod and a new Supergirl in Sasha Calle, and boldly premiered the movie here at CinemaCon Las Vegas to a packed house and tons of cheers.
In a box office year that’s already +37% over 2022 with $2.5 billion, exhibitors after the screening were already smelling the money after the screen faded to black. More tentpoles here to get 2023 to a $9 billion box office year stateside.
Said Vue Cinemas Boss Tim Richards about The Flash, “I absolutely loved it. It’s got heart, it’s got soul. You care about the characters. It’s going to be big. It’s great to see the whole Warner Bros. slate including comedies, horror and DC. Everything that our audiences are desperate for.”
“It’s one of the best DC films ever made,” said one studio dine-in chain exhibitor echoing the early sentiment of DC boss James Gunn who has heralded the Andy Muschietti-directed, Ezra Miller title as “probably one of the greatest superhero movies ever made,” one that resets the DC universe.
Exclaimed Kentucky-based exhibitor Rick Roman, “The audience loved it. I thought it was very good — lots of humor. Emotional at the end with some people crying. I like how they brought in Batman to support the Flash. Smart move. The movie will have legs since people will see it more than once.”
To date the biggest opening for a DC Warner Bros film belongs to 2016’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice on a global basis with $422.5M as well as domestic with $166M. The highest grossing DC movie of all-time belongs to 2018’s Aquaman from James Wan at $1.1