After a dismal run at the box office, The Flash just suffered another major defeat after being passed by the controversial Sound of Freedom.
The DCU’s latest super-powered blockbuster has not fared well since its release, serving as yet another example of a big-budget underperformer at the ticket window here in 2023.
While movies like Flash, Mission Impossible 7, and Indiana Jones 5 have underdelivered, one film has shocked box office experts this summer, that being Sound of Freedom.
The Angel Studios-distributed faith-based thriller has become somewhat of a box-office hit despite its relatively low budget and subject matter that one could define as niche for general theater-going audiences.
The Flash Takes Another Box Office L
Coming off of the weekend of July 21-23, DC’s The Flash took yet another major blow at the box office after being passed by Sound of Freedom, a controversial faith-based film from Angel Studios.
Much has been made about The Flash‘s box office failings, so this major defeat is just salt in the wound for Warner Bros.
Sound of Freedom‘s domestic box office total now sits at $124 million, which is $13.5 million more than The Flash‘s ($107.5 million).
This comes as The Flash has been deemed one the worst box office flops in moviemaking history. The film came into theaters with a gargantuan $220 million budget (that total doesn’t even consider the reported $100 million promotional spend from the studio on the film).
The Flash has made an international haul that dwarfs Sound of Freedom‘s ($267 million for The Flash and $124 million for Sound of Freedom), but Warner Bros. is likely to lose upwards of $300 million on the film when all is said and done.
This is in stark contrast to Sound of Freedom, which entered theaters on a meager $14.5 million budget. This means Angel Studios will profit greatly from the film, especially as it seems to be picking up momentum and still has people headed to the theater to see it.
The Flash vs Sound of Freedom: A Tale of Two Summers
It is interesting to look at both The Flash and Sound of Freedom comparatively, as the two films sort of serve as the two headlines of the summer blockbuster season.
While one has floundered, the other has thrived, both possibly going against the expectations that were set forth before them.
The Flash comes in a string of DC disappointments at the box office (Black Adam and Shazam 2). It seems that with the looming DC reboot on the horizon, fans are over this current continuity, and fewer of them are headed to the multiplex to take what DC’s latest has to offer.
Meanwhile Sound of Freedom has burst through projections experts may have had for the movie coming into its theatrical debut.
In lieu of the controversy surrounding the film and its subject matter, it has activated a community that seemingly was not going to the movie theater like maybe they once did.
This, and the word of mouth amongst that community, has created momentum for the film that – at least stateside – has caused it to defy the odds and do big numbers at the ticket window.
Both The Flash and Sound of Freedom are playing in theaters now.
