After “Shazam 2” had a disappointing start with $3.4 million at the Thursday previews domestic box office collection, the lowest in the DCEU, all hopes rest now on “The Flash.” The film has already received high praise from DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn, who called it one of the best superhero films ever made.
Also, The Hollywood Reporter published that Warner Bros. Discovery was very impressed with the film that they are going to screen it at the upcoming CinemaCon this year. But that’s not all. It has now come to light that the action star of Hollywood, Tom Cruise, has sung praises of the film. It’s reported that he even called up director Andy Muschietti to congratulate him on making such a wonderful film.
Tom Cruise Praises ‘The Flash’
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Tom Cruise has seen “The Flash,” and he loved it immensely. The site reported that late in February, Cruise met with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, and during that meeting, the company boss mentioned that the Ezra Miller-led film was amazing. This piqued Cruise’s interest, and he wanted to see the film. The CEO agreed, and a copy was sent to the actor’s home through a Warner Bros. employee.
The employee stayed with Cruise till he finished watching the movie. Then, the “Top Gun: Maverick” star gave the copy back to the employee, who then returned it to WBD. As per the outlet, Cruise was so impressed by the film that he called Muschietti, who was surprised to receive a call from one of Hollywood’s biggest stars and raved about “The Flash.” The Hollywood Reporter reported that Cruise called it the sort of film the film industry needs right now and also complimented it as a film that has everything in it.
This news took social media by storm. However, some ridiculed the report for being too outrageous and termed it as an attempt by WBD to distract audiences from the box office failure of “Shazam 2” and make them focus on “The Flash.” However, a major chunk of people believed the published report. Many believe this is another jewel in the crown of the film. After all, film insiders have termed it a great movie, and there’s speculation that it will revive DC from its slump and usher it into a new era.
It remains to be seen whether “The Flash” can prove itself worthy of all the admiration at the box office. However, it can’t be denied that it’s an achievement to have received such high praise from Tom Cruise, the man who was thanked by Steven Spielberg at the annual luncheon hosted by the Academy Awards for saving theatrical distribution with “Top Gun: Maverick.” The “Top Gun” sequel grossed about $1.5 billion globally and became the second-highest-grossing film of 2022, behind James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of the Water.”
The Flash And The DCU’s Future
A lot rests on “The Flash,” or at least that’s the popular speculation among DC fans. It’s rumored that the film will reboot the DC universe and usher in the DCU. Before James Gunn and Peter Safran took over as the bosses of DC Studios, it was rumored that Sasha Calle’s Supergirl and Michael Keaton’s Batman would become a part of the main DC universe. It was theorized that they would be replacing Ben Affleck’s Batman and Henry Cavill’s Superman. However, those rumors, true or not, don’t matter now. James Gunn has declared his new DCU plans, and he will soon be bringing in his versions of Superman and Batman.
Cavill, as well as Affleck, have bid DC goodbye. In fact, Affleck, as per The Hollywood Reporter, has taken his leave from the entire superhero genre after a poor working experience on 2017’s “Justice League.” As for Keaton, it seems like “The Flash” will be his last appearance as Batman after “Batgirl” was canned by Zaslav for tax write-offs. Sasha Calle’s, as well as Ezra Miller’s DC futures, are unknown. Along with them, there are question marks on Gal Gadot and Jason Momoa’s DC futures as well, who are also rumored to cameo in “The Flash.”
Even though James Gunn has assured fans that the major “Justice League” actors can return for the right project, he hasn’t clarified what that project will be or if it will even get made, leading fans to think that these are just empty platitudes. While worshippers of the DCEU are upset at the Snyderverse potentially getting rebooted, DCU fans are rejoicing. However, it can’t be denied that if “The Flash” is indeed rebooting the DCU, it has to be a major box office and critical success. The dismal commercial performance of “Black Adam” and “Shazam 2” has also put more pressure on the film. All signs point to it being the spark that will finally light DC’s box office fire, but whether that ultimately happens or not will be seen when the film releases on June 16, 2023.
See more: Top 7 Movies Like ‘The Flash’ You Should See Before Its Release