NEW YORK (AP) — Warner Bros. “Black Adam” opens with an estimated $67 million, according to Sunday’s studio estimate, handing Dwayne Johnson his biggest box office weekend in the lead role and the DC Comics he’s spent a decade bringing to the big screen. character was launched.
“Black Adam” was a $200 million bid to disrupt the power balance in the DC Extended Universe dominated by the likes of Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman. The $67 million debut is far from that stratosphere, despite the considerable pull Johnson played in his first superhero movie.Still, “Black Adam” closed his $143 million in July. managed the best opening weekend since it debuted on .
“Black Adam,” which stars Johnson as an ancient Egyptian summoned to modern times, was significantly undermined by its poor reception (40% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). The moviegoer was kind and gave the film a B+ cinema score. Internationally he has raised $73 million to transport $140 million worldwide.
“Black Adam” took a detour to reach the theater. The character was originally slated to appear as a villain in 2019’s Shazam! Before management pivoted to give Black Adam a standalone feature, his nearly $100 million goofy “Shazam!” He made a smashing success of $366 million.
However, the stakes for “Black Adam” were high. While promoting the film, Johnson hasn’t been shy about his desire to follow up “Black Adam” with a showdown with Superman. Whether receipts for “Black Adam” are enough to warrant it remains unclear. Under new leadership, Warner Bros. is reviewing its approach to DC Comics adaptations.
Warner Bros. Head of Distribution Jeff Goldstein called the result Johnson’s personal best for a non-Fast and Furious film, appealing to a wider audience than critics responded better to PG-13. praised as a movie. Still, it’s time for a transition for Warner Bros. Reorganize the DC unit as the studio seeks more Marvel-scale success. Next, “Shazam! Wrath of the Gods” will be announced in March.
“It’s all about making a good movie. It’s all about finding the right script,” said Goldstein. “Our studio is definitely undergoing a major revamp in production leadership and style and approach. I think we can crack this nut. We’re definitely focused on doing that.” doing.”
Ticket to Paradise, the Balinese-set romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney, proved masterful counter programming. ‘s romantic comedy sales. The film has already been a hit overseas, opening last month and hitting his $80.2 million in ticket sales.
Earlier this month, Universal’s R-rated “Bros,” an LGBTQ milestone in the genre, debuted with a disappointing $4.8 million. “Ticket to Paradise” had a notable advantage with his two stars and appealed particularly to older audiences. According to the studio, 64% of ticket buyers he was 35 or older.
“This weekend turned out to be an event movie for all audiences, but especially for older audiences who have difficulty getting into theaters.” We know this is the inexhaustible demographic group to see the movie’s opening weekend.
Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at data firm Comscore, noted that it was the first weekend since July to record a $65 million opener and more than $100 million in domestic ticket sales. He said it was largely due to star power in both “Ticket to Paradise” and “Black Adam” with Johnson.
“He was the engine that really pushed this box office, despite the headwinds in terms of the DC brand, and this was not a character that was known,” Dergarabedian said. This is a very strong starting point for Dwayne Johnson in the DC Comics mix. I want to see
Last week’s top movie, “Halloween Ends,” dropped significantly in its second weekend. Peacock’s Universal Horror sequel, released at the same time, was his $8 million, down 80%. Meanwhile, Paramount Pictures’ “Smile” continued to defy the typical decline of horror his releases. In his four weeks of release, “Smile” took him to No. 3, grossing $8.4 million, pushing his total domestic sales to $84.3 million.
As acclaimed award nominees landed in theaters, Searchlight Pictures’ The Banshees of Inisherin started off with one of the year’s highest per-theater averages. Martin McDonagh’s drama, starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, opened at $181,000 in four theaters, averaging $45,250 per theater. For A24, Charlotte Wells’ “After Sun,” starring Paul Her Mezcal and Frankie Corio as the vacationing father and daughter, also debuted solidly in his four theaters, averaging his $16,589 per theater. did.
Estimated ticket sales Friday through Sunday in theaters in the United States and Canada, according to Comscore.
1. “Black Adam” $67 million
2. “Ticket to Paradise,” $16.3 million.
3. “Smile” $8.4 million
4. “Halloween End” $8 million.
5. “Lyle, Lyle Crocodile,” $4.2 million.
6. “Queen” $1.9 million.
7. “Terifier 2,” $1.9 million.
8. “Darling, don’t worry.” $880,000.
9. “Amsterdam,” $811,000.
10. “Triangle of Sorrow”, $600,000.
Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter. http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
