After struggling at the domestic box office, this weekend’s two flagship releases – Warner Bros. superhero adaptation The Flash and Disney-Pixar adventure Elemental – failed to find widespread acceptance with international audiences.
The Flash grossed $75 million on its international theatrical debut, which doesn’t sound too bad… except when you consider that the film is available in 78 foreign markets. That means the vast majority of territories involved have failed to reach the $1 million mark. China topped the list with a lackluster $13.8 million, followed by Mexico at $9.4 million, the UK at $5.3 million, Korea at $3.7 million and Brazil with $3.5 million.
Ezra Miller stars in The Flash, which grossed $139 million worldwide, including a disappointing $55 million debut in North America. The film, directed by Andy Muschietti and beginning with Miller’s Barry Allen aka The Flash going back in time to prevent his mother’s murder and accidentally breaking up the DC Multiverse, went on to cost $200 million. Turning a profit in theatrical release will be difficult unless things recover significantly in the coming weeks.
“Elemental” faces an even darker path. The family-friendly film opened at $15 million in just 17 international markets, taking its worldwide grossing a disastrous $44.5 million. In a press release, Disney mentioned that Elemental launched in far fewer markets and that only three of the countries where it launched – China ($5.2 million), Korea ($3.2 million) and Australia ($1.1 million) – the terms of cash contributions matter. Elsewhere, the film is being staggered to “take advantage of local holidays.”
At the domestic box office, “Elemental” flopped at $25.9 million, landing by far the worst start in Pixar’s history. Like The Flash, Elemental cost $200 million to produce and about $100 million to advertise. Audiences (at least those who showed up during its opening weekend) were receptive to the film, but it takes Disney against the odds — and more so — to justify those awards.
Elsewhere, Sony’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse remained strong as global ticket sales approached $500 million. The animated sequel grossed $27.6 million from 60 overseas markets over the weekend, bringing the international tally to $209 million and the global total to $489.3 million.