Black Adam continues to rule in its second weekend, collecting an outstanding $250 million (about Rs. 2,059 crore) at the global box office. The Dwayne Johnson-led film opened with $140 million (about Rs. 1,153 crore) last week, seeing a 45 percent earnings drop, which is fairly standard for superhero flicks. Given Black Adam had a reported production budget of $195 million (about Rs. 1,606 crore), it’s not hard to imagine Warner Bros. Discovery hoping for bigger figures. Especially, considering the internet-breaking post-credits scene, heralding Henry Cavill’s return as Superman.
The latest DC Comics film marks Johnson’s career-best theatrical opening as a solo/ lead star. His last venture with director Jaume Collet-Serra, Disney’s Jungle Cruise grossed $221 million (about Rs. 1,820 crore) for a worldwide total, which is way less than the aforementioned $250 million figure. Black Adam also served as the best opening for any DC franchise film since the James Wan-directed Aquaman, which earned $261.3 million (about Rs. 2,152 crore) during its first weekend. In India, the film has reportedly hit the Rs. 40 crore mark, surpassing the lifetime collection in the country for Top Gun: Maverick. The Tom Cruise-led film is the highest-grossing film this year, making $1.485 billion (about Rs. 12,239 crore) worldwide.
As per Deadline, Black Adam held the first rank in 60 overseas markets, including France, Germany, Spain, UK, Australia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Brazil, and Mexico. The film has one more weekend to serve as the dominant force at the box office, before Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever hits theatres, on November 11. The latest entry in the DC Extended Universe made $67 million (about Rs. 554 crore) in the US, during its opening weekend, coming in well ahead of comic book nemesis, Shazam!, which opened to $53.5 million (about Rs. 442 crore). Johnson was initially slated to appear in the 2017 David F. Sandberg film, but plans changed as the former pushed for a solo origin story.
While Black Adam received largely mixed reviews from critics, audiences seem to be enjoying it, as evidenced by the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. At the time of writing, critic consensus stands at 39 percent, while the audience score is at 90. For a comic book character that people aren’t too familiar with, Black Adam has thrived well, even pushing through the COVID-19 pandemic-induced delays. The film was originally eyeing a 2021 release, and would need to collect around $400 million (about Rs. 3,297 crore) to break even. Not a hard reach, given Johnson’s global stardom.
Black Adam is now showing in Indian theatres, in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.