NEW YORK – According to studio estimates, Warner Bros.’ “Black Adam” opened with an estimated $67 million, giving Dwayne Johnson his biggest box-office weekend as a male lead as well as launching the DC Comics character he spent a decade bringing to the big screen.
“Black Adam” was a $200 million attempt to disturb the power dynamic in the DC Extended Universe, which was dominated by characters such as Batman, Wonder Woman, as well as Superman. Even with the significant draw of Johnson intervening in his first superhero film, the $67 million debut fell far short of that mark. Nonetheless, “Black Adam” had the best opening weekend since “Thor: Love and Thunder” debuted in July with $143 million.
“Black Adam,” starring Johnson as an ancient Egyptian called up to the modern day, has been plagued by negative reviews (40% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). The film received a B+ CinemaScore from moviegoers. It obtained $73 million globally for a sum of $140 million.
“Black Adam” took a roundabout path to theaters. The character was supposed to debut as a villain in 2019′s “Shazam!” before executives decided to give Black Adam his own film. The sillier “Shazam!,” which cost closer to $100 million to produce, debuted with $53.5 million in ticket revenue and went on to gross $366 million worldwide.
But the sums involved were higher for “Black Adam.” While promoting the movie, Johnson has made no secret of his wish to follow up “Black Adam” with a confrontation with Superman. But it’s unclear whether the sales of “Black Adam” are sufficient to justify that. Warner Bros. is rethinking its strategy to DC Comics adaptations under new leadership.
Warner Bros. distribution chief Jeff Goldstein praised the outcomes as a personal best for Johnson outside of the “Fast & Furious” films, as well as a PG-13 film with broad appeal that viewers reacted to better than critics. Still, Warner Bros.′ reorganizing DC unit is in transition as the production company seeks more Marvel-sized successes. In March, “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” will be released.
“It all comes down to making great films.” “It’s all about choosing the right scripts,” Goldstein explained. “Our studio is going through a significant revamping of our production leadership, style, and approach.” I believe we will be able to unravel this nut. We’re definitely committed to doing so.”
“Ticket to Paradise,” a romantic comedy set in Bali starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney, was an excellent counterprogramming choice. The Universal Pictures release debuted with $16.3 million, far exceeding recent sales for rom-coms, which have struggled at the box office in recent years. The film is already a success in other countries, where it has been in theaters for a month and has grossed $80.2 million in ticket revenue.
Universal’s R-rated “Bros,” an LGBTQ landmark in the genre, debuted earlier this month with a puncturing $4.8 million “Ticket to Paradise” had a substantial advantage in its two stars, and it especially appealed to older viewers; 64% of ticket buyers were 35 and up, according to the studio.
“It became an event film this weekend for all audiences, but especially for older audiences who can be challenging to get into theaters,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s head of distribution. “We all know that this isn’t a demographic that rushes to see movies on their opening weekend. That gives us a lot of hope for the coming weeks and months.”
According to Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore, it was the first weekend since July with a $65 million opening weekend and more than $100 million in total domestic ticket sales. He attributed this largely to star power in the appeal of both “Ticket to Paradise” and “Black Adam” with Johnson.
“Despite some headwinds in terms of the DC brand and this not being as well-known a character,” Dergarabedian said, “he was the engine that really drove this box office.” “This is a very strong start for Dwayne Johnson in the DC Comics mix.” He’s like a supercharger for the box office. Rotten Tomatoes score of 40%, but folks simply want to see Dwayne Johnson on the big screen as he is larger than life.”
“Halloween Ends,” last week’s top film, dropped dramatically in its second weekend. The Universal horror sequel, which was also released on Peacock, fell 80% to $8 million. Meanwhile, Paramount Pictures’ “Smile” defied the usual steady decline for horror releases. “Smile” finished third with $8.4 million in its 4th week of release with Smile coming in 3rd and catapulted its overall domestic sales to $84.3m.
As more renowned award contenders hit theaters, Searchlight Pictures’ “The Banshees of Inisherin” began its run with one of the year’s greatest per-theater averages. The Martin McDonagh drama, starring Colin Farrell as well as Brendan Gleeson, grossed $181,000 in 4 theaters for a per-theater average of $45,250. Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun,” starring Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio as a father and his daughter on vacation, also debuted strongly in four theaters for A24, with a $16,589 per-theater average.
