The Warner Bros. comic book film, starring Ezra Miller as the titular, time-traveling speedster, has grossed $210.9 million worldwide, with a disappointing $87 million at the US box office. It's significantly less than what a picture of its size and breadth — it cost $200 million to make and another $100 million to sell — needs to break even in theatres. China leads the international territories with $23.6 million, followed by Mexico ($14.4 million) and the United Kingdom collection with $8.5 million.
Swati Bhat
Image: Pixar Officials - Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie at the U.S. premiere of 'Elemental' in Los Angeles
Word of mouth isn't working. "The Flash" is suffering in part because it is seen as a relic of a soon-to-be-defunct comic book universe. As a result of DC Studios' new CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran's plans to retool the interconnected world of Justice League members, moviegoers don't appear to care about the mega-budget superhero tentpoles that are on the line. That's bad news for the two remaining DC titles, "Blue Beetle" (Aug.18) and Jason Momoa's "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" (Dec. 20).
"The Flash" is trailing Pixar's "Elemental" at the foreign box office. The animated film "Elemental" earned $31.3 million over the weekend and expanded to 40 regions. With $11.1 million, China is the highest-earning market, followed by Korea with $9.6 million and Mexico with $4.6 million.
"Elemental" has earned a total of $121 million worldwide, including $65.5 million at the domestic box office. The only problem is that "Elemental" cost $200 million to produce, so it must continue to draw family crowds far into summer to break even, let alone climb out of the red.
Jennifer Lawrence's filthy R-rated "No Hard Feelings" opened at $9.5 million from 48 territories. It's a promising turnout because broad comedies typically have limited international appeal. According to Sony, the picture is outperforming two previous R-rated comedies, "Cocaine Bear" by 17% and "Good Boys" by 33% in comparable regions at current currency rates. With $1.5 million, the United Kingdom led all markets, followed by Australia with $1.3 million and Germany with $1.1 million. Globally, “No Hard Feelings” stands at $24.5 million.
