In the aftermath of The Flash becoming one of the most notorious box office flops of 2023, director Andy Muschietti has spoken candidly about why the $200 million DC tentpole failed to connect with audiences. In a recent interview with La Baulera del Coso, Muschietti pointed to a variety of factors, including Ezra Miller’s off-screen controversies, the supposed superhero fatigue plaguing audiences, and the film’s failure to appeal to all four demographic quadrants (men and women, over and under 25).
However, in a surprising twist, key parts of Muschietti’s comments—specifically those referencing Miller’s scandals—were omitted in a story published by Variety.
Ezra Miller in The Flash – YouTube, DC
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In a more complete translation from Spanish provided by Reel Anarchy, Muschietti acknowledged Miller’s “mental health situation” and described the ripple effects it had on the film’s reception.
Translation: It’s the result of a mental health situation, you know. It turned out the way it turned out, let’s say. I mean, he was dealing with a mental health situation, and well, when you make a movie, there are things you just can’t control. One of them is when actors have a… pic.twitter.com/g5cYciqyWK
— Reel Anarchy (@ReelAnarchy) January 12, 2025
“It’s the result of a mental health situation, you know,” Muschietti said. “It turned out the way it turned out, let’s say. I mean, he was dealing with a mental health situation, and well, when you make a movie, there are things you just can’t control. One of them is when actors have a public relations crisis. You know, he got into trouble, was arrested in Hawaii, etc., etc.”
Muschietti went on to describe Miller as a talented actor who surprised him during production.
“I had, in general, a very good experience with him,” the director said. “He’s a great actor, a great comedian. I was very surprised by him. But then, towards the end, I came across all of this. I’d say this happened months before the release, just before the premiere, and well, it was a setback.”
Ezra Miller at San Diego Comic Con – Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Despite these comments being an important aspect of his analysis, Variety left them out of its coverage, instead focusing solely on Muschietti’s remarks about the film’s demographic struggles.
The only mention of Miller’s issues came at the tail end of the article, with Variety’s Jack Dunn adding, “Outside of box office woes, The Flash was plagued by lengthy delays and off-camera issues with star Ezra Miller.”
The controversies surrounding Miller were significant and well-documented. In the year before The Flash’s release, Miller faced a string of public scandals, including arrests for disorderly conduct, accusations of harassment, and allegations of inappropriate conduct with minors.
The negative press surrounding Miller made headlines worldwide, casting a long shadow over the film’s marketing campaign. Warner Bros. made the controversial decision to stand by Miller, a choice that many fans and industry experts criticized as a major misstep.
In his interview, Andy Muschietti also detailed the film’s challenges with demographic appeal, noting that The Flash struggled to connect with women in particular. This was the main takeaway Variety had from the interview.
“When a $200 million movie is made, the studio expects to bring everyone, even your grandmother, to the theater,” Muschietti said, noting that studios want blockbusters to appeal to all four “quadrants,” which include men and women above and below the age of 25.
Director Andy Muschietti doing press for IT – YouTube, SyFy
“In private conversations later on, I learned things like how a lot of people weren’t interested in Flash as a character,” he said. “Half of those four quadrants — the two female quadrants — many women didn’t care about Flash as a character.”
Of course those comments don’t add up when you consider that The CW was practically held afloat by its hit TV series The Flash, starring Grant Gustin, which ran (pun intended) for nine seasons.
While the character of the Flash may lack the universal appeal of DC icons like Batman or Superman, Muschietti’s remarks highlight how the film faced an uphill battle on multiple fronts. DC’s reputation was in steep decline after a string of disappointing releases, including Wonder Woman 1984, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and Black Adam, all of which further eroded audience interest.
Ezra Miller as The Flash in The Flash – YouTube, DC
Even the return of Michael Keaton as Batman, a major selling point in the film’s marketing, wasn’t enough to save it.
The omission of Muschietti’s comments about Miller from Variety’s coverage raises questions about the narrative being shaped around The Flash’s failure.
By focusing solely on demographics and genre fatigue, mainstream outlets risk ignoring the significant impact that Miller’s controversies had on public perception of the film. Muschietti’s full comments suggest a more nuanced reality—one in which a troubled lead actor and a tarnished studio all contributed to the movie’s downfall.
Ezra Miller at Comic Con – Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Despite the film’s failure, Muschietti remains attached to direct Batman: The Brave and the Bold for DC. However, the project’s future is uncertain, as it currently lacks a script and has shown little forward momentum. Under the leadership of James Gunn and Peter Safran, DC Studios is undergoing a major overhaul, with many projects being re-evaluated or canceled outright. If The Brave and the Bold is shelved, it would be yet another setback for Muschietti, whose credibility as a blockbuster director has taken a hit in the wake of The Flash.
Are you surprised that Variety edited quotes by Andy Muschietti on the failure of The Flash? Was Variety trying to protect Ezra Miller with this omission? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
They only want to report on a Variety of LGBTQ monsters. I’m not surprised.
I think he actually is to blame.
While I didn’t LOVE the Justice League movie, I thought it was pretty okay, and I liked him as Barry Allen. There really was nothing wrong with his performance.
His real world performance, though, was quite awful….
I didn’t actually watch The Flash, though, and I heard some bad things about it.
So his bad behavior as an actor might not be the only thing to blame.
Let’s also mention that they cast a butt ugly Iris West
I never liked him as Barry Allen in the first place, at least not the way he was written, with the forced awkwardness that “modern” audiences find so cute and the inane yammering. His public image was another thing. I was unenthusiastic about his film from the get-go. But then after the scandals, there was no way I wanted to pay to see a movie with TWO of him in it!
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