Warner Bros Believes In 'The Flash' So Much That They're Premiering The Movie Almost 2 Months Early At CinemaCon
Lalo Yasky. Getty Images.[Variety]
"The Flash is set to blaze through CinemaCon 2023, where Warner Bros. Pictures will screen the superhero blockbuster at the annual convention of movie theater owners in April, multiple sources told Variety.
"Showing the film in this capacity is yet another sign of Warner Bros.' passionate support of the project, one that has been saddled with controversy due to trouble surrounding star Ezra Miller. It’ll be the first full screening of The Flash, which opens in theaters on June 16. […] Warner Bros. is expected to still bring a formal presentation to the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, so The Flash is scheduled to play in the late afternoon on April 25 after the studio teases its upcoming film slate."
For as long as The Flash languished in development hell and kept getting pushed back amid the chaos and upheaval at Warner Bros regarding their DC superhero properties, this movie is red streaking into the world well earlier than anticipated.
When a studio puts up a public screening of an entire flick like this, they're over the moon about it and supremely confident that the audience is going to eat it up. Circulating this sort of positive word-of-mouth feedback is critical for a key tentpole that, in the words of DC Studios co-chief James Gunn, is going to reset the entire cinematic universe and lay the groundwork for what's next.
That's especially so when you consider all the personal/legal problems lead actor Ezra Miller battled throughout and after production. They are being supported by WB for now as they work on their recovery and getting their mental health in a good place. Unclear what the strategy with Miller once The Flash starts making the rounds to promote, but what a hell of a start this CinemaCon screening is to build the early buzz.
And I'm sure by covering this with a lead photo of director Andy Muschietti, that will be viewed favorably by the WB brass if they happen to see this.
As incredible as Super Bowl Sunday was for how good that game was between the Chiefs and Eagles, my nerd brain lingered on the fabulous trailer for The Flash that dropped.
The fact that Muschietti has apparently delivered one of the greatest superhero movies of all-time with all the speed forces that were working against The Flash is a towering achievement.
Seriously, as much as I've anticipated this film given how much I enjoyed The CW's TV iteration of the character with Grant Gustin as Barry Allen — well, the first two seasons at least — my hope in it wavered over the years. The amount of studio interference from past DC projects tempered my optimism too.
But again, a high-profile screening this far in advance? As Variety noted, the last time this happened was with Top Gun: Maverick and we saw how that smash hit turned out!
What's great is that we're getting a potentially excellent sendoff for Ben Affleck's Batman and seeing Michael Keaton don the cape and cowl again is a real treat. Keaton made an abrupt exit following two movies with Tim Burton once Joel Schumacher took over the director's chair and the franchise went in a much campier direction. Not a lot of closure for Keats, who passed on a hefty sum of money to play Bruce Wayne a third time.
I can't wait to see how Keaton's Batman is drawn and what he's been up to all this time in the Burtonverse. Quick aside: There's a line of comics out titled Batman '89 that explores what that Batman did following the events of the film Batman Returns, as Batman Forever and anything after that isn't considered canon in that timeline. Kind of an elseworlds story that I hope to dive into soon.
Although there's a risk that the Batmen and even Sasha Calle's badass-looking Supergirl could outshine The Flash in his debut silver screen outing, it should help that there are two Barry Allens at the center of this story. They must've nailed the off-kilter ensemble well enough to get WB this hyped for what some insiders are thinking could be their best DC theatrical release since Christopher Nolan's landmark piece of comic book-adapted cinema, The Dark Knight.
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