The Flash has moved around on the Warner Bros. release calendar more times than we can easily keep track off. So the possibility of yet another big switch was never far from our minds. But here’s some unexpected news—according to Deadline, The Flash‘s release date is moving up from its previous slot on June 23, 2023. Instead, the film will now hit theaters one week earlier on June 16, 2023.
WB’s new strategy gives The Flash the chance to dominate the box office for at least two weekends before Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny arrives and draws its own share of theater traffic. But for now, there’s no guarantee that The Flash will be a success at all. DC’s latest release, Black Adam, has been a commercial disappointment with a worldwide gross of just $384.6 million; and that film had Dwayne Johnson’s star power and the much-talked-about return of a DC heavyweight in its corner.
RELATED: Warner Bros. Already Has a Script For The Flash 2
Unfortunately, The Flash faces more of an uphill battle given the recent controversies surrounding headliner Ezra Miller. Throughout the past several months, the actor has faced several arrests along with a bevy of wild accusations covering everything from harassment to assault to child grooming. Miller allegedly began receiving treatment for mental health issues after WB informally threatened to cancel The Flash’s theatrical premiere. But even before Miller issued a public apology in August, the studio gave no indication that the project was getting shelved. In fact, Miller reportedly filmed reshoots for the movie in-between arrests over the summer.
Regardless of Miller’s antics, test audiences are still responding well to early cuts of The Flash, which may have influenced WB’s decision to shift the film’s release date. One of Deadline’s “non-studio” sources even claims that the film is “Spider-Man: No Way Home good” thanks to appearances by Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck as alternate versions of Batman. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. is still thinking about the franchise’s future. Rumor has it that the studio even has a sequel already written courtesy of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom scribe David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick.
How do you feel about The Flash getting an earlier release date? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Flash: The Haunting of Barry Allen
We are also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
