Warner Bros. Fails To Learn From THE FLASH's Failings As Fan Screenings For BLUE BEETLE Begin In The UK

Warner Bros. Fails To Learn From THE FLASH's Failings As Fan Screenings For BLUE BEETLE Begin In The UK

Fan screenings for The Flash had an undeniably negative impact on the movie's awful opening weekend, but Warner Bros. clearly hasn't learned from past mistakes by holding more for next month's Blue Beetle.

By JoshWilding - Jul 25, 2023 05:07 AM EST
Filed Under: Blue Beetle

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...

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bobevanz
bobevanz - 7/25/2023, 5:38 AM
They also do this for Disney, you especially know this..
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 7/25/2023, 5:43 AM
@bobevanz - Last time Disney did this was at a film festival in front of critics for Indy. Not the same.
Drace24
Drace24 - 7/25/2023, 6:13 AM
@PlusUltra - Was still a mistake to screen Indy at Cannes. Notoriously the snobbiest audience imaginable. The bad press from that was probably a big reason for that movie flopping.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 7/25/2023, 6:19 AM
@Drace24 - Definitely didn’t do the movie any favours that’s for sure
SuperZeroCustmz
SuperZeroCustmz - 7/25/2023, 6:29 AM
@Drace24 - I def agree w/ that . I personally thought the film was not good and really felt like they are doing the same thing they pulled w/ Mutt except now w/ a female lead which also felt forced . So it didnt feel like a tribute or send off to Indy at all.
Drace24
Drace24 - 7/25/2023, 7:30 AM
@SuperZeroCustmz - I liked Mutt. I didn't want him to be the next Indy or anything but I liked that he completed the generational storyline from Crusade. And Indys reaction to learning he had a greaser son while stuck in quicksand is probably my favorite part of the entire franchise. And he never took attention away from Indy. But Helena absolutely did. Boy did they want us to like her, but they never really gave us a reason to. She was just not interesting or compelling enough to carry the movie as much as they made her. In the second half of the movie it basically became the Helena show while Indy just stopped being an active participant in his own swan song film. What an odd decision.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 7/25/2023, 5:46 AM
You can’t take what DC fans take seriously about these movies. They’ve been gushing over a dead universe for years
rkshuttleworth
rkshuttleworth - 7/25/2023, 3:27 PM
@PlusUltra - I can't take you Marvel tribalists seriously. The Flash was a great movie.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 7/25/2023, 3:31 PM
@rkshuttleworth - 1) I’m not a Marvel “tribalist”. 2) I enjoyed the Flash also
CoHost
CoHost - 7/25/2023, 5:46 AM
They have Barbie to pay the bills for the entire year. Oh well.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 7/25/2023, 5:49 AM
@CoHost - Barbie’s doing amazing, but it’s not making anywhere near enough to cover all the money lost this year alone from these DC movies.
AmazingFILMporg
AmazingFILMporg - 7/25/2023, 8:48 AM
@CoHost - one film can't sustain an entire studio after it has a string of flops😂
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 7/25/2023, 5:50 AM
The movie does have a couple of things going for it:
1. Kid appeal.
2. Origin movie.

It doesn't have a high mark to hit either, since it was so cheaply made. But it may still end up falling short and costing WBD despite the low bar it has to hit.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 7/25/2023, 5:55 AM
@ObserverIO - Origin movie’s going against this one because let’s be honest, we’ve seen this movie with a different skin in the last 10 years over and over, and that shows in the trailers
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 7/25/2023, 6:01 AM
@PlusUltra - It does look very noticeably derivative. And cheap.
mountainman
mountainman - 7/25/2023, 7:08 AM
@ObserverIO - You’re right that it can turn a profit much easier than most superhero movies these days. We will see how it does.

It doesn’t face a ton of competition at least. For the you get person movie going audience, there will still be a few movies in theaters that come out before it that may be competition, although they will have slowed by the time it comes out. Haunted Mansion and Ninja Turtles may get families with younger kids. The older teenage audience may gravitate to Voyage of the Dementer, Grand Turismo, and The Meg 2.

But none of those are guaranteed hits. Haunted Mansion and Ninja Turtles should do well enough, but they should have cooled by the time it comes out, and the others probably won’t be big hits.

If it can pull $250 million, it will be a moderate success. But will it?
Matador
Matador - 7/25/2023, 8:33 AM
@mountainman - I'm sure the Meg 2 is going to make more money than Blue Beetle that's just Jurassic World on water minus the Mesosaurus or just a fun monster movie.


mountainman
mountainman - 7/25/2023, 8:44 AM
@Matador - TIL the first one made $530 million WW. Never knew it had made so much.

I watched it at home one day and absolutely hated it. Felt it was worse than Deep Blue Sea. But different strokes for different folks I guess.

Probably the biggest money makers of late summer (outside of Barbie that is likely to be a huge take) are Ninja Turtles and The Meg 2.

Maybe we are really moving into the post-CBM era. Not that they are going away, just not guaranteed BO hits like a few years ago.
Matador
Matador - 7/25/2023, 8:59 AM
@mountainman - Not sure how TMNT is going to do but not holding my breath even my kid was not impressed by it. He was more excited about The Meg 2.

Sometimes big dumb fun is the way to go when you add politics, agendas, or woke B.S that will drag anyone's movie down. I meant to go see TF:RoB's but never found the opportunity.
mountainman
mountainman - 7/25/2023, 10:11 AM
@Matador - It seems like we are now getting more straight forward blockbusters without the social commentary. And many of them are doing well. Hopefully we get a return to that. Sometimes all we need is a fun movie that is entertaining that helps us escape enfrijoladas real world drama and BS.
Matador
Matador - 7/25/2023, 11:57 AM
@mountainman - Agreed!
videovac
videovac - 7/25/2023, 12:21 PM
"You’re right that it can turn a profit much easier than most superhero movies these days" - @mountainman

So explain to me how Batgirl couldn't do the same again. You can't tell me Batgirl cost that much more. This movie isn't even tracking to reach 20 million total in its opening weekend. How the fukc is THIS released while Batgirl is shelved? This is NOOO defense of Batgirl. Fukc that movie's existence. But this is stupid. Batgirl and Blue Beetle were never gonna make shit.
mountainman
mountainman - 7/25/2023, 12:26 PM
@videovac - Why would I explain that to you? Do I look like a Warner’s executive?
Matador
Matador - 7/25/2023, 12:29 PM
@mountainman -

videovac
videovac - 7/25/2023, 12:33 PM
Chill @Matador. My point that I was making at @mountainman was that it made no sense for Warner Bros to release this, which has no connection to anything else DCEU, and yet shelve Batgirl, which, I can't believe I'm saying this, has some build-up to it.

Mountain, I didn't mean to be that obnoxious. Warner Bros sets me off, and I hate them as a studio fare more than I hate any other studio in Hollywood.
Matador
Matador - 7/25/2023, 12:37 PM
@videovac - I am chill that's why I'm laughing at his comment your asking him stuff he has no control over.

But DC/WB did not want to release Batgirl but they wanted to write it off as a tax-write off or failed movie. It was during the last execs that were fired because they wanted their bonus checks. They could have made something off that movie but not allot cause of how cheap it looked.
mountainman
mountainman - 7/25/2023, 12:46 PM
@videovac - Oh I agree that Blue Beetle in theaters doesn't make sense. It looks like a made for streaming movie, has no A list actors, and features a lesser known hero.

I can’t say Batgirl would have necessarily earned more though. We will never truly know. If Keaton couldn’t get more people to show up to the Flash, then who’s to say he would for Batgirl.

And maybe it was as bad as the Warner execs said?

Any of us that enjoy DC characters and stories had better hope the DCU reboot can right this ship that has been mostly sailing in the wrong direction for a decade.
Fogs
Fogs - 7/25/2023, 5:56 AM
What was that called again? Oh, yeah.

Flavor of the week.
Matador
Matador - 7/25/2023, 8:39 AM
@Fogs - Blue Raspberry
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 7/25/2023, 6:07 AM
This movie was never going to succeed. It's a character most people know nothing about, in a universe people don't care about anymore.
Snow43214
Snow43214 - 7/25/2023, 6:20 AM
Still, fanboys calling it the best DC movie yet is bound to make a difference, right? It sure didn't help The Flash...

Lmao, I don't come to the site a lot so I may be wrong but is the author classed as a journalist and therefore journalistic neutrality is usually warranted?

Does the author read the comments and change the post to reflect constructive criticism?

Aside from that, shame that the film doesn't look amazing but hopefully it's really good! No harm having another good comic book film out in the world, especially for a lesser known character!
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 7/25/2023, 6:33 AM
@Snow43214 - Journalistic neutrality is a complete myth
Snow43214
Snow43214 - 7/25/2023, 6:39 AM
@PlusUltra - So it seems bud!
SuperZeroCustmz
SuperZeroCustmz - 7/25/2023, 6:37 AM
Is this the start of the new dc project w/ Gunn at the helm ? Even w/ all the fans from the animated version of this character Its setting a way different bar than some of the projects . While I would love to see this work and flourish like the Mcu phase 1 to 3 , I think it will feel like 2 different things . Like the difference from tv and film .
Vigor
Vigor - 7/25/2023, 8:57 AM
@SuperZeroCustmz - because of young justice and blue beetles awesome appearance in that, this is probably the only DC film since the dark knight that I've had any intrigue in seeing
Tasmaniac
Tasmaniac - 7/25/2023, 6:48 AM
This is just sad now.
MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 7/25/2023, 6:54 AM
What is it with the writers on this site keep repeatedly and specifically using the word "ghoulish" to describe The Flash cameos. How much do you guys get paid to use the darn word, cause it's been a lot now?
oldnoname
oldnoname - 7/25/2023, 10:12 AM
@MosquitoFarmer - OK thank you! I thought I was going crazy
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