Theater counts: The Flash and Elemental each debut in over 4,000 theaters

June 15, 2023

Three new wide releases grace cinemas all across North America this weekend, while a flurry of big franchise hits are still widely available on the big screen. Newcomer Transformers: Rise of the Beasts won the domestic weekend last time around, but Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse retook its position at number one at the box office throughout the week. This week they fall from their respective places as widest release as The Flash and Elemental make their cinematic arrival.

Zooming into 4,232 theaters this week, The Flash is the latest in the DC Extended Universe and stars Ezra Miller as the titular character, while sporting an all-star cast, including Michael Keaton, (who knows a thing or two about Super Hero roles). The superhero movie follows Barry Allen (aka The Flash) as he uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past, only to become trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. The film is directed by Andy Muschietti, who also directed both It and It: Chapter Two back in 2017 and 2019 respectively.

As mentioned, Walt Disney’s Elemental is arriving to theaters this weekend. Starting out in 4,035 venues, the animated feature follows a fiery young woman and a go-with-the-flow guy who are about to discover something elemental: How much they actually have in common. Directed by Peter Sohn, the Pixar Animation Studios film includes the voices of Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie and a plethora of others.

Another wide release hitting theaters this week is the comedy-horror film, The Blackening, with a solid ensemble cast, including Jermaine Folwer, Sinqua Walls, and Grace Byers to name a few. Available in 1,775 locations to start its theatrical run, the film follows a group of Black friends who reunite for a Juneteenth weekend getaway only to find themselves trapped in a remote cabin with a twisted killer.

Rounding out the top five widest releases this week are the aforementioned Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, showing in 3,873 cinemas, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts in 3,680 locations, and The Little Mermaid, still available in a solid 3,480 movie houses. Between the three films, they have accumulated over $1 billion at the worldwide box office.

Looking ahead to next week we see the release of four new wide releases, two of which are expansions from this week. Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City opens in six locations this week before making itself available across North America next weekend. Likewise, the romantic drama, Past Lives, which opened on June 2, expands wide on June 23. Opening for the first time next week is the Jennifer Lawrence sex-comedy, No Hard Feelings, which is expected to arrive in about 3,000 theaters according to Sony Pictures. Lastly, God is a Bullet makes its way into theaters.

Theater Counts for June 16

Theater Counts for June 23

Bruce Nash

Filed under: Theater Counts, Spider-Man, Transformers, The Little Mermaid, DC Extended Universe, Wes Anderson, Michael Keaton, Jennifer Lawrence, Peter Sohn, Ezra Miller, Sinqua Walls, Mamoudou Athie, Jermaine Fowler, Leah Lewis, Grace Byers