Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam aimed to shake up superhero cinema however as a substitute shook Warner Bros.’ steadiness sheet, racking up losses between $50M and $100M. Huge swing, huge miss.
For context, Black Adam value a jaw-dropping $195M, plus an $80-$100M international advertising and marketing blitz. And whereas $387 million in worldwide earnings would possibly sound first rate, it fell light-years wanting the $600M goal wanted to interrupt even. In accordance with insiders, something much less spelled pink ink, regardless of Warner Bros. claiming they’d scrape by at $400M due to “residence leisure magic.” Spoiler: that magic didn’t fairly materialize.
Dwayne Johnson spent over a decade manifesting this antihero ardour venture, pitching it as the subsequent huge DCEU tentpole. However as a substitute of delivering the subsequent Aquaman or Shazam!, it landed someplace between “meh” and “perhaps later.” Critics gave it a lukewarm 43% on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences weren’t precisely dashing again for second viewings.
However the true plot twist? Johnson’s behind-the-scenes energy performs. He famously vetoed Shazam’s cameo in Black Adam (a transfer insiders declare “tanked each franchises”) and campaigned arduous for a showdown with Henry Cavill’s Superman. Johnson wished a Black Adam vs. Superman face-off so badly he allegedly bypassed Warner Bros. execs to greenlight Cavill’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo. Whereas cool on paper, the gamble didn’t repay, leaving the DCEU much more disjointed than earlier than.
Johnson envisioned Black Adam as a unifier within the scattered DCEU timeline. He pitched a world the place Joker, Suicide Squad, and Justice League might collide—basically a superhero buffet for followers. “All the pieces,” Johnson stated, “open up the guide.” However the issue wasn’t the dream—it was the execution.
As an alternative of strengthening the model, Johnson’s go-big-or-go-home mentality stretched the DCEU even thinner. Business insiders famous his tendency to heart himself because the “most essential particular person within the room.” Whereas confidence is nice, it’s not sufficient to prop up a struggling franchise, particularly in an oversaturated superhero market.
Black Adam premiered in late 2022 with a $67 million home opening—first rate however hardly earth-shattering. Not like DCEU hits like Aquaman, it lacked endurance. The absence of main markets like China and Russia didn’t assist both.
Even Warner Bros.’ “shorter theatrical home windows” technique couldn’t save the day. Residence leisure introduced in some additional money, however not sufficient to cowl the movie’s mountainous prices. And let’s be actual: superhero fatigue wasn’t only a pandemic factor—it was a Black Adam factor.
Wanting again, Black Adam wasn’t only a field workplace blunder however a cautionary story. Ambition is nice, however in Hollywood, even The Rock can’t carry a cinematic universe on his shoulders alone.
In the long run, the “hierarchy of energy” didn’t shift. It stalled, leaving Warner Bros. to choose up the items whereas the DCEU desires of what might’ve been.
Observe: Field workplace numbers are primarily based on estimates and numerous sources. Numbers haven’t been independently verified by Koimoi.
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