It’s Bad News For The Flash In Its First Week Streaming, And I’m Sad For Michael Keaton’s Batman

The DC Universe is always keeping fans on our toes, thanks to twists behind the scenes as well as on the big screen. The DCU has new leadership with James Gunn and Peter Safran, but a number of movies were filmed before this change occurred. That includes Andy Muschietti’s The Flash, which ended up being a box office disappointment. But the movie’s got a new life via home release, and The Flash recently arrived on Max. It’s bad news for the movie in its first weekend streaming, and I’m sad for Michael Keaton’s Batman.  

The Flash was a wild multiversal ride featuring a whopping three actors playing Bruce Wayne. Chief among them was Michael Keaton, who got his long-awaited return to the cowl. I personally had a great time watching the DC movie, and was hoping it would have a second life on streaming. But Deadline reports that Flash was seen by 1.1M US households during it’s first few days on Max. And that’s a downward trend compared to The Rock’s DC blockbuster Black Adam

The numbers pulled by The Flash is down 8% to how Black Adam managed to pull 1.2M U.S. households upon its streaming release back in December. While both movies were box office disappointments, it should be interesting to see how these streaming lives affect any possible future in the new DCU.

Michael Keaton smirking in his batsuit, with his cowl off, in the Batcave in The Flash.

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

As previously mentioned, I actually really enjoyed The Flash when I watched it. And like so many people who watched Tim Burton’s original two Batman movies, I was psyched at seeing Michael Keaton return to the Dark Knight. And I’m really hoping that this isn’t the last time we see his Bruce Wayne come to life. Especially after how things went down with the scrapped Batgirl movie

In addition to The Flash, Michael Keaton was also going to play Batman in the Batgirl movie opposite Leslie Grace. But Warner Bros. dropped the movie despite it being nearly completed, and it’s unclear if the public will ever get to see any of the footage. So between The Flash being a flop and Batgirl being dropped, Keaton’s second life as Batman isn’t going as planned. And I’m sure I’m not the only fan who is bummed.

James Gunn and Peter Safran are currently planning the next decade of DC projects, including TV, movies, and even video games. The first phase is titled Gods and Monsters, but the plans for Flash are a mystery. The Brave and The Bold will feature Batman and Robin, but it’s a mystery as to who is playing those heroes. Will we get another Keaton appearance? Only time will tell. 

The next DC movie hitting theaters is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom on December 20th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.