Ezra Miller Blamed for Flash Box Office Failure as Variety Edits Comments to Trash the Fans

Following the disappointing performance at the box office in 2023 for The Flash, director Andy Muschietti has openly discussed the reasons behind the film’s lack of audience appeal. In a recent conversation with La Baulera del Coso, Muschietti highlighted several potential causes, such as Ezra Miller‘s off-screen issues, the growing tiredness among viewers towards superhero movies, and the movie’s inability to resonate with all age groups and genders (both male and female, over and under 25).

Yet, surprisingly, some crucial aspects of Muschietti’s statements, particularly those pertaining to Miller’s scandals, were left out in the article about him that was published by Variety.

According to a thorough translation from Spanish given by Reel Anarchy, Muschietti recognized Miller’s “mental health predicament” and explained how it impacted the movie’s public response.

His behavior seems to stem from a mental health issue, if you get what I mean. The outcome, as it happened, can be attributed to that. In the process of creating a film, there are aspects that are beyond our control. For instance, an actor’s mental state is one such factor that we cannot always predict.

— Reel Anarchy (@ReelAnarchy) January 12, 2025

Muschietti explained, “His behavior was influenced by mental health issues.” Essentially, this is what happened. Filmmaking involves elements that are beyond our control, such as an actor’s personal struggles. Unfortunately, the actor encountered a public relations crisis, including being arrested in Hawaii, among other things.

Muschietti went on to describe Miller as a talented actor who surprised him during production.

As for my encounter with him, I must admit it was quite a positive one. He proved to be an exceptional actor, a hilarious comedian, exceeding my expectations. However, as we moved closer to the release, right before the premiere, I encountered some challenges. To put it mildly, it was a bump in the road.

Although those comments were crucial for a comprehensive analysis, Variety chose to exclude them from their report, opting instead to concentrate exclusively on Muschietti’s views regarding the movie’s audience issues.

In the article, the troubles related to Miller were briefly discussed towards the end, with Jack Dunn from Variety noting, “Beyond financial struggles at the box office, The Flash faced numerous setbacks due to prolonged delays and complications behind the scenes involving lead actor Ezra Miller.

The disputes concerning Miller were substantial and extensively recorded. A year prior to the premiere of The Flash, Miller was embroiled in a series of public disturbances, which included being arrested for disorderly behavior, facing harassment charges, and allegations of improper behavior with minors.

Worldwide news outlets reported critically on Miller, which created a significant dark cloud over the promotion of the movie. Warner Bros., despite facing heavy criticism from both fans and professionals in the field, chose to stay loyal to Miller, a move that was widely viewed as a serious blunder.

During an interview, director Andy Muschietti discussed the difficulties faced by their film in appealing to a wide demographic, highlighting that the movie “The Flash” had trouble resonating with women specifically. This key point was what stood out most to Variety based on the conversation.

In a conversation about a $200 million film production, director Muschietti expressed that the goal is to attract audiences from various demographics, even extending as far as your grandmother. This is because studios aim for their blockbusters to resonate with all four categories: males and females, both younger than 25 and older than 25 years old.

In subsequent private discussions, I discovered that numerous individuals had little interest in the character Flash. Specifically, out of the four demographic categories, the two female segments showed little enthusiasm towards Flash as a character.

Indeed, it’s worth noting that the consistency of the comments seems questionable given that The CW network heavily relied on the long-running success of “The Flash,” a TV show featuring Grant Gustin, which spanned an impressive nine seasons.

As a fan following the Flash movie’s journey, it’s clear that Muschietti’s comments underscore the challenges we faced. The reputation of DC was on a downward spiral due to a series of underperforming films like Wonder Woman 1984, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and Black Adam. Each new release seemed to chip away at the audience’s enthusiasm for DC productions.

Despite the highly anticipated comeback of Michael Keaton as Batman being heavily promoted, it didn’t manage to rescue the movie from its poor performance.

Leaving out Muschietti’s remarks concerning Miller in Variety’s report creates a sense of uncertainty regarding the storyline emerging about The Flash’s setback, implying a potentially biased account.

As a passionate admirer, I believe it’s crucial not to overlook the role that Miller’s scandals played in shaping public opinion about the film. Muschietti’s extensive comments hint at a more complex truth—one where a troubled lead actor, a questionable studio, and perhaps even genre fatigue, all combined to bring about the movie’s disappointing performance.

Although the movie didn’t succeed, Muschietti continues to be involved as the director for Batman: The Brave and the Bold at DC. However, the project’s prospects are unclear, since it doesn’t have a script yet and hasn’t made much progress so far. With James Gunn and Peter Safran in charge, DC Studios is undergoing significant changes, with numerous projects being reassessed or halted altogether. If The Brave and the Bold gets scrapped, it would add to Muschietti’s difficulties, as his reputation as a big-budget director has been affected following The Flash.

2025-01-13 21:55

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