As Andy Muschietti returns to Derry for his “It” television prequel series, he’s also returning to the world of “The Flash” — a movie that, in a recent interview, he said he still loves.
Muschietti spoke to The Playlist, in an interview published Wednesday, in preparation of the Oct. 26 release of “It: Welcome to Derry.” In the interview, Muschietti addressed the poor reception for his 2023 superhero film “The Flash,” saying that the film’s criticism was driven by number of people who had not even bothered to watched it.
“A lot of people did not see it. You know how things are these days,” Muschietti said. “People don’t see things, but they like to talk s–t about it, and they like to jump on bandwagons. They don’t really know. People are angry for reasons that are unrelated to these things.”
“The Flash” was a long time coming in the old iteration of the DC cinematic universe. The first feature starring the Scarlet Speedster, Muschietti’s adaptation pulled from Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert’s iconic “Flashpoint” storyline, which saw Barry Allen drastically alter the universe after going back in time to prevent his mother’s death. Ezra Miller starred in the film as Barry — two versions of him — alongside the return of Michael Keaton as Batman and the debut of Sasha Calle as Supergirl.
Directed by Muschietti and written by Christina Hodson, “The Flash” was a highly anticipated event film, one touted by figures like new DCU architect James Gunn as “probably one of the greatest superhero movies ever made.” Yet the audience reaction to the film far from reflected this. Reception to “The Flash” was, at the time, middling at best: It sits at a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, carries a 55 Metascore and landed a B CinemaScore (then tied with “Batman v Superman” for the lowest in the DCEU). “The Flash” was also reported to be a flop at the box office, making $271 million in its total run.
Muschietti said these numbers don’t take away from his own pride in the film, which he said he remains “very proud of.”
“We love the movie,” he told The Playlist. “We gave it our blood, sweat, and tears all the way to the end. And I watched it, like a week ago, and loved it again.”
“The Flash” happened to release at a poor time for lead actor Ezra Miller. Leading up to the film’s premiere, Miller was at the center of numerous controversies and legal issues, with arrests stemming from disorderly conduct, harassment and second-degree assault charges. Muschietti acknowledged the role this could have had in the film’s performance.
“Of course, we had a publicity crisis with Ezra that is undeniable,” Muschietti said. “I’m not questioning that. But yeah, we love the movie. And actually, we really recommend it.”
Still, Muschietti expressed gratitude for those who supported “The Flash” through its trials.
“This may seem immaterial now, but we also had so much support from the studio, really, at a point where they could have been like, you know, backing out because of all the issues we were having with publicity,” he said “They went all in, and we all went all in.”
