Warner Bros.’ “Black Adam” debuted, raking in an estimated $67 million, giving Dwayne Johnson his best box-office weekend as a leading actor and 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, dominated by characters like Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman.
Even with the significant draw of Johnson playing in his first superhero film, the $67 million debut fell far short of that mark. Nonetheless, “Black Adam” had the greatest opening weekend since “Thor: Love and Thunder” arrived in July with $143 million.
“Black Adam,” starring Johnson as an ancient Egyptian called to the current day, has been plagued by negative reviews (40% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). The film received a B+ CinemaScore from moviegoers. It garnered $73 million abroad for a total of $140 million.
“Black Adam” took a roundabout path to theatres. 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 more than $100 million to produce, debuted with $53.5 million in ticket sales and grossed $366 million worldwide.
But the stakes were higher for “Black Adam.” While promoting the film, Johnson has made no secret of his ambition to follow up “Black Adam” with a confrontation with Superman. But it’s questionable whether “Black Adam” sales are sufficient to justify that. Warner Bros. is rethinking its approach to DC Comics adaptations under new leadership.
Warner Bros. distribution president Jeff Goldstein told The Associated Press the results as his best for Dwayne Johnson outside of the “Fast & Furious” films and a PG-13 film with broad appeal that people responded to better than reviewers.
Still, Warner Bros.′ restructuring DC branch is upheaval as the studio pursues more Marvel-sized successes. In March, “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” will be released.
“It all comes down to crafting terrific movies.” “It’s all about getting the appropriate scripts,” Goldstein explained. “Our studio is undergoing a substantial reworking of our production leadership, style, and strategy.” I believe we will be able to break this nut. We’re 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 picture debuted with $16.3 million, well exceeding recent sales for rom-com, which have struggled at theatres in recent years.
The picture is already a success in other countries, where it has been in theatres for a month and has grossed $80.2 million in ticket sales.
Universal Studios R-rated “Bros,” an LGBTQ milestone in the genre, was released earlier this month with a disappointing $4.8 million.
“Ticket to Paradise” had a significant edge in its two stars, and it notably appealed to much older audiences; 64% of ticket buyers were 35 and up, according to the studio.
“It became an event film this weekend for all audiences, but notably for older audiences who can be tough to get into cinemas,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s head of distribution. “We all know this isn’t a demographic that rushes to see movies on their opening weekend. That gives us much 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 popularity of “Ticket to Paradise” and “Black Adam”.
“Despite some movement forward in terms of the D.C .brand and this not being as well-known a character,” Dergarabedian said, “he was the motor that propelled this box office.” “This is a strong start for Dwayne Johnson in the DC Comics mix.” He’s like a supercharger for the box office.
Rotten Tomatoes score 40%, but people want to see Johnson on the big screen because he is larger than life.”
“Halloween Ends,” last week’s #1 film, plummeted dramatically in its second weekend. The Universal horror sequel, released on Peacock, fell 80% to $8 million.
Meanwhile, Paramount Pictures’ “Smile” defied the usual drops for horror movies. “Smile” came in third with $8.4 million in its 4th week of release, bringing its total domestic sales to $84.3 million.
Searchlight Pictures’ “The Banshees of Inisherin” opened with one of the year’s top pre-theatre averages as more respected award contenders hit theatres.
The Martin McDonagh movie, starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, debuted at four theatres with $181,000, for a per-theater average of $45,250. Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun,” featuring Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio as a father and young daughter on vacation, launched in four theatres with a $16,589 per-theater average for A24.
Comscore estimates ticket sales for Friday through Sunday in US and Canadian theatres. The final domestic data will be provided on Monday.
1. “Black Adam,” $67 million.
2. “Ticket to Paradise,” $16.3 million.
3. “Smile,” $8.4 million
4. “Halloween Ends,” $8 million.
5. “Lyle, Lyle Crocodile,” $4.2 million.
6. “The Woman King,” $1.9 million.
7. “Terrifier 2,” $1.9 million.
8. “Don’t Worry Darling,” $880,000.
9. “Amsterdam,” $811,000.
10. “Triangle of Sadness,” $600,000.
Source: The Associated Press, VOR News
