Andy Muschietti, director of the 2023 box office disaster The Flash, broke down in a recent interview some reasons as to why the film did not click with many audiences. The film released in 2023 as one of the final films in the DCEU (DC Extended Universe), a universe which included films such as Man of Steel, Justice League, Shazam! and Wonder Woman. The film starred Ezra Miller, Sasha Calle and Michael Keaton.

On a hefty $200 million budget, the film grossed just over $270 million worldwide. With marketing included, the film did not come close to breaking even, making it a box office failure. The film was littered with production trouble. Originally slated to be released in 2018, The Flash was passed around to many directors before Andy Muschietti was given the task to clean it up. With the ever-changing director and script changes galore, it is a miracle a film was ever released.

In a new interview with Andy Muschietti, he explained one of the reasons he believes the film did not succeed. “The Flash failed, among all the other reasons, because it wasn’t a movie that appealed to all four quadrants. It failed at that. When you spend $200 million making a movie, Warner wants to bring even your grandmother to the theaters. And I’ve found in private conversations that a lot of people just don’t care about The Flash as a character. Particularly the two female quadrants. All of that is just the wind going against the film I’ve learned.”

He seems to believe that The Flash as a character only appeals to certain key demographics, something he was not aware of before the film’s release. While this may be the case, it is worth noting that the CW TV series by the same name ran for nine seasons and became one of the network’s most popular shows. It is also worth noting that Ezra Miller is a very controversial figure, especially around the time of the film’s release. Press involving lead actors is often important to a film’s success, and many people were not happy to see Ezra Miller’s face around the time it premiered. The film now joins the ranks of other massive comic book movie flops including Green Lantern, Wonder Woman 1984 and the recent Kraven the Hunter.