Marketing for “The Flash”: Lots of Batman and TV Ads, but No Ezra Miller

The Flash : Ezra Miller travelled to Warner Bros. in late August 2022 for their initial meeting with Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, the film division chairman. The actor had been experiencing legal and personal issues for months, and The Flash, the $200 million film Miller had been associated with since 2014, was in danger of falling through due to a succession of arrests and negative press. Ezra Miller expressed regret for their actions, which included trespassing and choking a woman in Iceland in a videotaped incident, a few weeks prior, citing “complex mental health issues.”

“The Flash”: Lots of Batman and TV Ads, but No Ezra Miller

On that August day, everyone was wondering if Miller would be able to avoid difficulty and stay out of the news long enough for The Flash to arrive in theatres without incident. The answer seems to be affirmative ten months later. As the movie rushes towards its June 16 release date, Ezra Miller has not only avoided the news, but the actor is also unable to be spotted in the media.

The studio chose to highlight the picture itself rather than its star, maybe exaggerating its potential. According to CEO David Zaslav and James Gunn, co-president of DC Studios, the film is one of the best superhero movies ever made. Some Warners employees are scratching their heads in confusion over the appropriateness of having such high expectations, as a result of this.

One source said, “It can’t be the studio telling you it’s good; your friends have to tell you it’s good.”

The initial reviews, which were published on June 6, are favourable but not of the calibre of those given to The Dark Knight, widely regarded as the best movie of its kind. The Flash currently has a 72 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, beating out Warners’ $1 billion, Oscar-winning smash Joker, which has a 69 percent rating.

The film’s anticipated opening weekend of $70 million to $75 million is expected to suffer due to a number of other challenges the studio is now dealing with. The perception that these upcoming DC films—Blue Beetle in August and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in December—are less important because Warners is relaunching a slate of brand-new films with new actors playing the superhero roles—under the direction of DC Studios heads Gunn and Peter Safran—is based on some actual superhero movie fatigue.

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How much is reality and how much is perception is unknown. Both executives have indicated that some performers from the current reality might return, and Xolo Mariduea, whose character Blue Beetle has tight ties to Booster Gold in the comics, stands out as the most likely candidate. Depending on how well Blue Beetle does this summer, Gunn and Safran may decide to include him in their own Booster Gold show.

In the press, Warners has so far ignored Ezra Miller in favour of the film’s director Andy Muschietti, producer Barbara Muschietti, and star Sasha Calle from Supergirl.

On June 12, Miller is anticipated at the movie’s debut, which is likely to be dubbed a “fan event” in which celebrities walk the red carpet but refuse to take questions from the press. The studio has prior expertise with these hybrid events. It conducted a Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore event in New York in April 2022, which was dogged by controversy surrounding author J.K. Rowling, Johnny Depp’s replacement, and even Miller, who had been detained in Hawaii just days before the event.

The studio has recruited well-known champions instead of highlighting its star, recruiting prominent people for advance screenings. Having seen it, Stephen King. “Normally, I’m not a big fan of superhero movies, but this one is unique. It’s touching, hilarious, and stunning,” he tweeted.) Likewise, Jaden Smith. (“ummm best movie ever,” he remarked on Instagram). Tom Cruise was given access to an early screening at his house as well. (He is supposed to have liked it but did not tweet his evaluation.) In order to generate hype, the studio actually ran what one individual called one of the more aggressive screening campaigns in recent memory, with tens of thousands of people attending.

Rival studios point out that Warners has been spending a lot on advertisements, especially teasers, which were run during the NBA Finals. Warners allegedly paid the NBA alone upwards of $14 million, albeit that sum also included a slot for Barbie, according to one executive. (An insider at Warners claims that the number was lower.)

“They are spending a tonne of money. According to the executive who is familiar with these rollouts, this is a significant campaign.

And if Warners can’t rely on the Flash himself to draw crowds, it is hoping that Batman, one of the most well-known superheroes in the world, and the nostalgia factor for a coming-back Michael Keaton, will. Both have received prominent profile treatment in the promotions, and Keaton recently attended a fan gathering in London.

But it’s not obvious if it’s making an impact. Ben Affleck and Keaton returning as Batman has prompted comparisons to the popular Spider-Man: No Way Home, which is unjust because Flash was originally scheduled to open before that film. On the other hand, viewers of the 2022 release of Robert Pattinson’s The Batman may feel as though they have just seen a Batman movie.

Regarding not putting too much emphasis on Miller, a rival studio official claims, “They are not pushing Flash as a character because they can’t.

The writers’ strike has forced the closure of late-night discussion shows that usually featured huge movie stars as guests. Although that is a setback for movies, it might work to Flash’s advantage. Co-stars aren’t forced to answer uncomfortable questions about their troubled star, and Miller isn’t noticeably missing from the shows.

The competitor executive claims, “It has hurt everyone equally, but it hurts them less in their case.”