The Flash will go down in history as the biggest box office flop in Warner Bros.' 100-year history.
The movie, while by no means a critical disaster on the same level as Green Lantern and Suicide Squad, failed to attract moviegoers and the reasons for that are likely to be discussed and debated for years to come.
Once confident it had a guaranteed hit on its hands with The Flash, the studio held multiple free fan screenings to build buzz. Instead, spoilers for the movie soon became impossible to escape on social media and the glowing Twitter reactions weren't reflected in primarily tepid reviews.
The screenings also meant that fans who would typically pay to see a movie like this during its opening weekend had already watched it without contributing a single dime to box office takings.
The cameos were initially a huge draw but, once people knew about the ghoulish CG-fest that was on the way, that quickly changed. The fan reactions and claims it was the "greatest superhero movie ever made" also saw The Flash become a subject of ridicule, with savvy moviegoers concluding they were being misled.
Warner Bros. hasn't learned from past mistakes, though, as a fan screening for Blue Beetle took place in London, England last night.
An embargo is still in place, but based on past experience, we expect a full plot breakdown to hit Reddit imminently. With the greatest of respect to the fans who attended last night's screening, they aren't critics and a quick look at their online presence reveals they awarded movies like Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and The Flash glowing 5* reviews without a negative word to be found.
Simply put, they're hardcore DC fans being "wined and dined" by Warner Bros. in the hope of generating more of the positive buzz that ended up hurting The Flash.
While social media influencers have become a big part of marking campaigns, the studio has clearly failed to realise that their followers are already going to watch Blue Beetle...everyone else, meanwhile, will inevitably roll their eyes at what they perceive to be false or overblown praise for a brand damaged almost beyond repair.
Blue Beetle may well be the first DCEU movie of 2023 that doesn't underwhelm, but with box office tracking pointing to a dismal $12 million - $17 million opening weekend, it's clear the interest isn't there.
Still, fanboys calling it the best DC movie yet is bound to make a difference, right? It sure didn't help The Flash...