The superhero genre is showing no signs of slowing down, and fans who watched the DC Movies in order will recall how Andy Muschietti's The Flash (which is streaming with an HBO Max subscription) was one of the final installments in the DCEU. The IT director recently responded to the hate the movie got, saying people "like to talk shit". He also spoke about how the PR surrounding star Ezra Miller might have influenced the movie's performance.
While co-CEO James Gunn is crafting a new DCU, many fans are still unpacking what went down with the previous shared universe. Case in point: Muschietti's conversation with The Playlist, where he addressed what went down with The Flash's box office and critical performance. He offered:
A lot of people did not see it. But you know how things are these days — people don’t see things, but they like to talk shit about it, and they like to jump on bandwagons. They don’t really know. People are angry for reasons that are unrelated to these things.
I mean, he's not wrong. The internet is a relentless place, and there are plenty of moviegoers who enjoy talking smack about various projects. The Flash's CGI has gotten a ton of criticism, including viral clips that might have dissuaded people from giving the DC flick a chance. Add in the fact that the new DC Universe has already been announced, and some folks simply didn't bother to see Muschietti's blockbuster.
There is another big factor that might have influenced so few people seeing The Flash in theaters: various controversies surrounding star Ezra Miller at the time. They had a number of legal shakeups leading up to The Flash's release in theaters. And while Miller eventually apologized and sought treatment for mental health issues, their personal life did feel like a cloud surrounding the DC movie. Muschietti briefly touched on this, saying:
Of course, we had a publicity crisis with Ezra that is undeniable. And I’m not questioning that. But yeah, we love the movie. And actually, we really recommend it.
When I finally saw The Flash, I didn't understand why it got so much hate. I thought it had a unique, fun multiversal story that featured both comedy and some epic crossovers. And while Andy Muschietti has theories about why it didn't perform at the box office, he stands by the movie itself. As he went on:
And again, we love the movie. We, you know, we gave it our blood, sweat, and tears all the way to the end. And I watched it, like a week ago, and loved it again.
Suddenly I'm feeling the urge to give The Flash a re-watch. While it's not a perfect movie, I thought it looked and felt like it jumped right off of the comic book page. Plus who doesn't want to see Michael Keaton return as Batman?
The Flash is streaming now on HBO Max, which will also be the home of Andy Muschietti's forthcoming IT prequel Welcome to Derry. That series will debut October 26th as part of the 2025 TV schedule.
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