The paradox of 'The Flash': a box-office flop and an on-demand hit

"The Flash," the film directed by Andy Muschietti and starring Ezra Miller, was one of the biggest flops at the international box office. The feature film, which took almost nine years to see the light of day, lasted barely a month in theaters due to its poor performance.

In fact, according to the data provided by Box Office Mojo, after 42 days in theaters, the film only grossed about $268 million worldwide. A figure far short of the $400 million they needed to make "The Flash" profitable. What's more, the box office gross narrowly exceeded the investment made by Warner Bros. Pictures in it only during its production as the feature film had cost between $200-220 million to make.

However, its revenue is improving slightly thanks to on-demand services (VOD). The portal IndieWire noted that "The Flash" is the best-selling movie on iTunes, Google Play and Vudu. These services offer users the possibility of renting or purchasing the movie to enjoy it at home for the price of $19.99. It seems that viewers prefer this method of seeing the film, since on these three platforms the feature film is the most watched, surpassing other of this year's blockbusters such as "Super Mario. The Movie" or "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3."

This paradox has caused a delay in its arrival on streaming platforms. HBO Max was the one who was going to offer the film and was scheduled to do so in August. However, the unexpected success of the feature film on on-demand services may mean that "The Flash" will not be available on streaming platforms until October at the earliest.