The film that was supposed to revolutionize the DCEU was Black Adam (review here). From the moment it was announced it was marketed as the Superhero film that the hour needs. Something that we had to see. The movie in my opinion had taken all the right calls, especially cast Dwayne Johnson as the titular character. Given the year that we’ve had where every superhero film has disappointed us except for The Batman, I was really looking forward to this film as I genuinely wanted to be enthralled by a superhero film, like I did when I was 16. I feel sad to say, Black Adam is not that film. It is not a revolution that the DCEU needs. Its quiet simply a film that is self aware and invests heavily in action sequences and doesn’t pay heed to its screenplay which is one of the weakest of the year.
The most disappointing part of the film was Dwayne Johnson himself as I’ve not seen a more one dimensional performance from him before. Pierce Brosnan’s Doctor Fate was the absolute highlight of the film. Even if the film is not perfect it is definitely an enjoyable watch that would be a fun time in theatres and according to numbers the audiences feel like that as well.
Black Adam is a Financial Success?
There is a lot riding on Black Adam and I’m not only talking about the $200 Million but also the hopes of everyone that wants to see a proper DCEU. Black Adam’s success would be absolutely crucial in deciding the fate of the DCEU. Apart from the poor critical regard about the film, I don’t think Black Adam has taken any wrong steps. The film I think has come out at the perfect time and should be a success at the box office and for that the film definitely has to gross at least over $400 Million.
Early projections for the Dwayne Johnson starrer predicted that the film would have a grand weekend opening of $70 Million. This would be an excellent figure for DC as it would be right behind this year’s The Batman which had an opening of $128 Million. However, it looks like the negative reviews have hampered the film’s opening numbers as the latest projections show a $50-60 Million opening weekend. According to Forbes, the film earned $7.6 Million from the Thursday night previews that happened domestically.
The opening night of Black Adam’s box office through the previews is the best DCEU has to offer after Aquaman in 2018. That film made $9M on the opening night and had a $70M opening weekend in December 2018. Just to be clear, The Batman and Joker were the only films that pulled in higher numbers and both weren’t part of the DCEU. That stat suggests something which Warner Bros. fail to see. Black Adam’s opening night is better than Shazam! ($5.9M), Birds of Prey ($4M), and The Suicide Squad ($4.1M).
Black Adam is helmed by Jungle Cruise’s Jaume Collett-Serra, and will star Dwayne the Rock Johnson in the lead role of Black Adam. The supporting cast includes Aldis Hodge (The Invisible Man, Underground) as Hawkman, Quintessa Swindell (Trinkets, Euphoria) as Cyclone, Noah Centineo (To All the Boys I Love Before, Charlie’s Angels) as Atom Smasher, and Pierce Brosnan (GoldenEye, Mamma Mia!) as Doctor Fate, with Uli Latukefu, Marwan Kenzari, Mohammed Amer, James Cusati-Moyer, and Bodhi Sabongui have also been cast in currently unknown roles.
Black Adam will release in theatres near you on 21st October 2022.
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