The Flash Gets Release Date Moved Up To Avoid Clash With…

Warner Bros. Discovery and DC’s new management wants to make sure everything within their control goes accordingly when The Flash makes its solo debut, and it looks like that includes moving up the film premiere a few days to avoid overlapping with another movie juggernaut, Indiana Jones.

While Warner has been quite coy when it comes to marketing The Flash, presumably due to its star Ezra Miller’s being caught up in a series of scandals over the past two years, it’s about time promotional efforts pick up, with the film taking over DC’s booth at CCXP. Nevertheless, the previous June 23, 2023 release date is no longer any good given Disney will now be dropping Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny just one week later.

With that in mind, Warner executives have decided to give Barry Allen some extra breathing room as Variety reports the film has now been moved one week before for June 16, 2023 so that it can fight for the summer box office Indy-free for longer. Overall, DC Universe movies have shuffled their premiere dates quite a bit over the past year, whether it was Black Adam’s initial VFX-related delays, as well as Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom swapping places with Shazam! Fury of the Gods and the latter now being next in line for March 17, 2023.

In any case, DC’s big tentpole film is supposed to be The Flash, which is why it’s especially important for the studio to secure that two-week window during which most movies tend to make the bulk of their box office earnings. Financial performance is likely to be a crucial metric, considering Black Adam is -at the moment- expected to generate losses for Warner after securing only $384.6 in revenue from movie theaters worldwide.

The Flash’s handling has become a particular headache for Warner in recent months, with the option of outright scrapping the movie said to have been on the table at one point, similar to Batgirl, were it not for the film’s massive $200m budget. Regardless of that, The Flash has reportedly done great with test screening audiences, something that bodes well for such a massive blockbuster, contrary to Black Adam which failed to generate consensus on how good it was among critics and fans.

The Flash is expected to tackle the Flashpoint storyline from the comics, thus making it the perfect opportunity for DC to reboot under James Gunn's creative direction.