Andy Muschietti, the director behind the DC Extended Universe film "The Flash," has openly discussed the movie's disappointing box office performance. In a candid interview with Radio Tu, translated by Variety, Muschietti attributed the film's failure to a lack of broad appeal, particularly noting that "a lot of people just don’t care about the Flash as a character." He emphasized that the film struggled to attract "the four quadrants" of moviegoers—a term used in the industry to describe audiences segmented by age and gender: males under 25, males over 25, females under 25, and females over 25.
Muschietti pointed out that with a hefty $200 million budget, Warner Bros. expected the film to draw in a wide audience, including even the least likely viewers, such as grandmothers. He admitted, "The Flash failed, among all the other reasons, because it wasn’t a movie that appealed to all four quadrants. It failed at that." He further elaborated that the lack of interest in the Flash character, particularly among female audiences, contributed significantly to the film's challenges.
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Muschietti also hinted at other factors contributing to the film's underperformance, such as its negative critical reception, heavy reliance on computer-generated imagery (CGI), and its position near the end of the now-defunct DCEU. Controversies surrounding the use of CGI to recreate deceased actors without family consent were also mentioned.
Despite these setbacks, Muschietti's career with DC Studios appears to be far from over. He is reportedly set to helm "The Brave and the Bold," marking the first Batman film in the newly rebooted DC Universe under the leadership of James Gunn and Peter Safran. This move signals DC's continued confidence in Muschietti's directorial vision despite the challenges faced with "The Flash."
