“The Flash” continues to stumble at the box office, collecting $26.6 million from 78 international territories over the weekend and bringing its overseas tally to just $123.3 million.
The Warner Bros. comic book movie, starring Ezra Miller as the eponymous, timeline-spanning speedster, has grossed $210.9 million globally, including a lousy $87 million at the domestic box office. It’s far less than what a film of its size and scope — it cost $200 million to make and another $100 million to market — needs to break even in its theatrical run. China is leading the foreign territories with a lackluster $23.6 million, followed by Mexico with $14.4 million and the United Kingdom with $8.5 million.
Word-of-mouth isn’t helping “The Flash,” which is suffering in part because it’s considered a leftover from a soon-to-be defunct comic book universe. DC Studios’ new leaders James Gunn and Peter Safran plan to retool the interconnected world of Justice League members, and as a result, movie fans can’t seem to care about the mega-budgeted superhero tentpoles that are hanging in the balance. That’s unfortunate for the two remaining DC entries in limbo, Blue Beetle” (Aug. 18) and Jason Momoa’s “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” (Dec. 20).
“The Flash” is flying below Pixar’s “Elemental” on international box office charts. Over the weekend, the animated “Elemental” added $31.3 million while expanding to 40 territories. China is the top-earning market with $11.1 million, followed by Korea with $9.6 million and Mexico with $4.6 million.
With another $65.5 million at the domestic box office, “Elemental” has generated $121 million globally to date. The only trouble is that “Elemental” cost $200 million to produce, so it needs to keep drawing family crowds well into summer to break even in its theatrical run, much less climb out of the red.
Elsewhere, Jennifer Lawrence’s raunchy R-rated “No Hard Feelings” debuted to $9.5 million from 48 markets. It’s a promising turnout because broad comedies tend to have limited appeal with international audiences. According to Sony, the film is pacing above two recent R-rated funny films, “Cocaine Bear” by 17% and “Good Boys” by 33%, for similar markets at current exchange rates. The United Kingdom led all markets with $1.5 million, followed by Australia with $1.3 million and Germany with $1.1 million. Globally, “No Hard Feelings” stands at $24.5 million.
