Despite the star power behind it, Black Adam is expected to lose Warner Bros. up to $100 million. Dwayne Johnson led the cast of the DC Universe movie as the titular antihero, exploring his origins as a former slave in the fictional country of Kahndaq who was imbued with superhuman abilities by the wizard Shazam, only to be imprisoned after utilizing his powers for murderous means. Chronicling his fight with the Justice Society of America in the present, Black Adam was met with generally mixed reviews from critics, and though audiences have enjoyed the DCU film, it doesn't appear to have helped it in the long run.

Nearly two months after the film first hit theaters, Variety has debuted a new report analyzing Black Adam's box office performance. Despite setting a new opening weekend record for Dwayne Johnson, the DCU film is expected to lose WB up to $100 million, with sources indicating the studio spent somewhere between $80-100 million on marketing which, when paired with its estimated $200 million production budget, necessitated the film to bring in at least $600 million worldwide to break even. At the time of writing, Black Adam has come to the end of its theatrical run with just over $384 million grossed.

Why Black Adam Is Losing Money


Considering the international draw Johnson tends to bring to his movies, it may come as a surprise to learn that Black Adam is expected to lose so much money at the box office. One of the bigger elements seemingly holding the film back is its reviews, with it currently sitting at a 39 percent approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the worst-reviewed installment in the DCU since the theatrical cut of Justice League in 2017. With Black Adam also being a lesser-known comic book name for those unfamiliar with DC, relying squarely on the draw of Johnson in the titular role and Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate didn't help matters any further.

The other bigger hurdle Black Adam had to overcome in its box office run was its competition and time of release, coming out just over a week ahead of Halloween, an odd choice for a superhero film, and just a week after Halloween Ends, a more in-season release. Even after escaping the season of scares, the DCU film had to face off against the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, a film that had a lot of groundswell behind it for its early acclaim and the story acting as a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman. The MCU title did unseat Black Adam from the top box office spot in the latter's fourth weekend, though Johnson has been very open about his love for both films, denying any rivalry existing between the two.

Will Black Adam's Losses Affect His DCU Future?


With the film having lost so much money at the box office, many are sure to begin wondering how Black Adam's financial losses with affect the character's DCU future. Johnson and producing partner Hiram Garcia have frequently stated plans for his character to continue in the franchise, namely to have Black Adam face off against Henry Cavill's Superman, but with new Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav watching studio finances closely, a $100 million loss could prove problematic for Johnson's return. But, with new DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran developing a 10-year plan for the franchise, and audiences' overwhelming positive response to the film, it seems doubtful Black Adam's future is completely closed off.