©Warner Bros/courtesy Everett C
“The Flash” is set to blaze through CinemaCon 2023, where Warner Bros. Pictures will screen the superhero blockbuster at the annual Theater Owners Convention in April, multiple sources have said. Variety.
Showing the film in this capacity is yet another sign of Warner Bros. passionate support for the project, which has been plagued with controversy due to issues surrounding star Ezra Miller. This will be the first full screening of “The Flash,” which hits theaters on June 16.
CinemaCon takes place in Las Vegas from April 24-27. Major studios typically bring sizzle reels, first-look trailers and trotting celebrities to the annual gathering, which is designed to get exhibitors excited about the movies they’ll be hitting their screens in the year. coming.
Screening a finished film usually exceeds the expectations of this crowd, full of cineplex honchos and theater executives looking to rub shoulders with Hollywood insiders. Last year, Paramount devoted its hours-long presentation to the first full screening of Tom Cruise’s hit sequel “Top Gun: Maverick,” which played like gangbusters in the theater owners’ room before becoming a box office sensation.
It is expected that Warner Bros. still brings an official presentation to the Coliseum at Caesars Palace, so “The Flash” is set to play late afternoon April 25 after the studio teased its upcoming slate of movies.
Warner Bros. did not immediately respond to Variety request for comment.
“The Flash” is a holdover from an old DC Films regime, but internal reception is apparently so strong that it has the stalwart support of new studio executives James Gunn and Peter Safran. Gunn recently called the movie “one of the greatest superhero movies ever made,” noting that Miller’s path forward as the Scarlet Speedster would be based entirely on their recovery from lingering emotional issues.
“Ezra is totally committed to their recovery,” Safran said at the time. “And we fully support this journey that they’re on right now.”
In recent years, Miller has displayed disturbing behavior, which has resulted in legal issues and allegations of assault and abuse. In mid-January, the actor pleaded guilty to unlawful trespassing in a Vermont burglary case. They face up to a year of probation and must pay a $500 fine. In addition to the Vermont incident, Miller was caught on camera in acts of aggression against Hawaii police and appeared to choke a fan at a bar in Iceland in 2020.
Miller, who identifies as non-binary and uses the pronouns they/them, has self-proclaimed mental health issues and has addressed ongoing concerns about their behavior.
“Having recently gone through a period of intense crisis, I now understand that I have complex mental health issues and have begun ongoing treatment,” Miller said over the summer. “I want to apologize to everyone I have alarmed and upset about my past behavior. I am committed to doing the work necessary to get back to a healthy, safe and productive stage of my life.
Andy Muschietti directed “The Flash,” which also stars Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton (both returning as respective Batmans), Kiersey Clemmons, and Michael Shannon.