Black Adam looks set to continue its hold over the box office after a superb first week for the DC Comics anti-hero. Dwayne Johnson's superhero passion project has proven popular, both with comic book fans and with his own audience. The movie has ended its first week with $83.4 million domestic, which puts the film ahead of Hobbs & Shaw's first week which brought in $83.1 million. Black Adam is expected to bring in another $27 million to $30 million in its second weekend, and its worldwide cume already sits at $156.2 million.
Black Adam did fail to match the global openings of other DC Extended Universe titles like Man of Steel ($190 million worldwide), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ($422 million globally), and Justice League ($278 million globally). However, Black Adam is a lesser-known character, and the current takings still represent a massive success for Johnson and DC.
Ticket to Paradise, the Bali-set romantic comedy starring George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Kaitlyn Dever ended its first week with $23.7 million. The film came in ahead of forecasts last weekend with $16.5 million and it has already jetted past the $100 million dollar mark worldwide in a huge victory for older-skewing comedies aimed primarily at women.
This weekend, the main new release is Prey for the Devil from Lionsgate, which is a PG-13 horror film. Released in 2,980 locations, projections state it isn't expected to make a big dent in the box office, reaching the high-single figures. The movie follows a nun who believes she has been called to become an exorcist, only to find she has been summoned for a more sinister purpose. It stars Jacqueline Byers (Roadies) and Christian Navarro (13 Reasons Why) and is directed by Daniel Stamm, who made The Last Exorcism.
A number of films were also released wide today. Till (United Artists) from Chinonye Chukwu and starring Danielle Deadwyler expanded into 2,000 theaters and the movie, which has been exceptionally well reviewed, is expected to bring in around $4 million. Meanwhile, Searchlight's The Banshees of Inisherin starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson is moving into 59 theaters following a limited release last weekend. The Martin McDonagh picture, which is a reunion of the director and his principal cast from In Bruges, is set on a quiet island west of Ireland and is being tipped for success at the Oscars. Critics have claimed it is a career-best performance from both Farrell and Gleeson, as well as containing a standout turn from Kerry Condon and Searchlight expects strong word-of-mouth to carry it to box office success.
You can view our interview with Farrell and Gleeson below: