Box Office Round-Up ~ 6/19/23

Barry Allen may be the “Fastest Man Alive,” but apparently not when it comes to the box office. The Flash, Warner Bros.’ long-awaited, years-in-development, more or less final chapter of the cinematic DC Extended Universe, won its debut weekend but with a very disappointing $55.7 million, far below expectations.

It’s a better debut than Shazam! Fury of the Gods earlier this year, but lower than Black Adam last fall. And considering both those movies were ultimately considered disappointments, it’s a grim outlook for The Flash. Despite mixed reviews (and multiple controversies surrounding the production and lead actor Ezra Miller), it will likely hold the top spot next weekend due to light competition, before running smack into Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny at the end of the month.

Equally disappointing were the numbers for Elemental, this weekend’s other major new release. The latest from Disney and Pixar took second place with a dismal $29.6 million. It just barely avoided being the worst opening weekend gross in Pixar’s history, and considering that honor belongs to the original Toy Story back in 1995 (which all but ushered in a new era of 3D animated features), it may not be much of a consolation for Elemental.

In third place, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse took $27.2 million in its third weekend, putting the critically and commercially successful sequel on pace for more than $300 million domestic before the end of the month. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts has cleared $100 million overall, grossing $20.7 million in its second weekend in theaters. Rounding out the top five was The Little Mermaid, which will finish up its first month on the big screen with over $250 million domestically, grossing $11 million over the weekend.

Of note outside the top five was the third new release of the weekend, horror-comedy The Blackening from director Tim Story (Barbershop, Ride Along). It took sixth place with a debut gross of $6 million, but could see a strong hold in the coming weeks due to positive word of mouth and the recent sturdy performance of horror films across the board.

1. The Flash ($55.7 MM)
Director: Andy Muschietti (Rogers & Cowan/PMK)
Writers: Christina Hodson (CAA), Joby Harold (CAA)
Cast: Ezra Miller (CAA)
         Sasha Calle (CAA)
         Ben Affleck (WME)

2.  Elemental ($29.6 MM)
Director: Peter Sohn
Writers: John Hoberg (UTA), Kat Likkel (UTA), Brenda Hseuh (Verve), Peter Sohn
Cast: Leah Lewis (Paradigm)
         Mamoudou Athie (WME)
         Ronnie Del Carmen

3. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ($27.2 MM)
Director: Joaquim Dos Santos (UTA), Kemp Powers (Gersh), Justin K. Thompson (Verve)
Writers: Phil Lord (UTA), Christopher Miller (UTA), Dave Callaham (UTA)
Cast: Shameik Moore (CAA)
         Hailee Steinfeld (CAA)
         Jake Johnson (UTA)

4.  Transformers: Rise of the Beasts ($20.7 MM)
Director: Steven Caple Jr. (CAA)
Writers: Joby Harold (CAA), Darnell Metayer, Josh Peters, Erich Hoeber (Verve), Jon Hoeber (Verve)
Cast: Anthony Ramos (CAA)
         Dominique Fishback (UTA)
         Luna Lauren Velez (APA)

5. The Little Mermaid ($11 MM)
Director: Rob Marshall (CAA)
Writers: David Magee (CAA)
Cast: Halle Bailey (CAA)
         Jonah Hauer-King (CAA)
         Melissa McCarthy (CAA)

Source: Box Office Mojo, The Numbers