While Black Adam may have challenged the power hierarchy in the DCEU, the Dwayne Johnson-led blockbuster failed to impress at the box office.
Variety reports that DC’s latest blockbuster has grossed just $387 million worldwide since its theatrical release on October 21. With production costs of $195 million, a reported marketing budget of between $80 million and $100 million, and the fact that theaters retain about half the proceeds from ticket sales, Black Adam could lose between $50 million and $100 million at the box office
Variety reported that Black Adam will eventually break even at $600 million, but sources at Warner Bros. dispute that number, saying it’s actually $425 million. IGN believes Black Adam should ultimately break even.
The DC movies in (chronological) order
Black Adam started off strong in its first weekend, earning $140 million worldwide. The film saw a sharp 59% drop for its second weekend but still held its ground at the box office.
It’s not just Black Adam that has been struggling at the box office of late. Disney’s big animated feature Strange World had a disappointing debut at $12 million, followed by a 60% drop to $4.9 million.
We weren’t fans of Black Adam in our review, where we said, “Black Adam indulges himself to the point where it’s difficult to enjoy the DC anti-hero’s debut.” If you’re interested in Black Adam too but don’t want to go to the cinema, you can rent the film online for as little as $20.
Black Adam will probably be remembered most for bringing Henry Cavill’s Superman back to the DCEU. Johnson spoiled the post-credits cameo himself, causing frustration with Black Adam’s producer.
Luckily for DC and its fans, the future is in good hands with new DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran, who recently started work on an eight to 10 year roadmap for DC movies, TV shows, Animations and more have started .
This story was supplemented with additional information from sources within Warner Bros.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN, covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of gaming industry experience with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.