Image: Warner Bros.
Dwayne Johnson has been working hard to generate hype around his DC Universe debut, Black Adam, but it seems like nobody’s really ready for the power hierarchy to change. Although Black Adam grossed just under $400 million at the box office, which is no small feat and certainly not a bad run, the film needs around $600 million worldwide to break even and turn a profit.
Variety reports that sources at Warner Bros. claim the studio only needs $400-450 million in theaters to break even, but that seems unlikely given Black Adam has become far more popular as a home viewing experience is. The main reason for this is that the film was dropped on platforms and streaming services after just 33 days rather than 75 days before the pandemic, meaning people who wanted to see the film in theaters probably decided to just go for it to wait to meet streaming.
Sure, many big-budget properties don’t make money in theaters, but given the sheer amount of pre-release theatrics Johnson himself was involved in, it’s not looking great. The film was met with mixed reviews and there was something about the film that kept people from talking about it. Aside from die-hard comic book fans, Black Adam was a relatively unknown man in the DCU, meaning Johnson’s star power alone was the real draw for this film.
The difference in which tentpole superhero movies do well depends so much on recognizable characters, not just actors. The clearest example of this is the fact that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever grossed $331 million in three days – almost as much as Black Adam grossed in theaters worldwide in four weeks. Black Adam might not get the sequel Johnson fought desperately for, but we can guarantee that at least Superman will make a return.
Black Adam is in theaters and currently available to stream on Amazon.
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