It has been another rough week for DC fans with the future of the franchise’s universe being put in question once again. However, there’s still one anti-hero trying to make a difference in the DCU at the box office and his name is Black Adam. The Dwayne Johnson-starring film has been out since late October. Despite a disappointing box office run and the film already being available on VOD, Black Adam has made another $1.5 million at the box office this weekend in 73 markets. This brings the film’s international total to $220 million and its worldwide total up to $388.9 million.
While a lot can be said about Black Adam's performance, you can’t say he’s not persistent. Even with Johnson as a promoting vehicle for the film, this superhero epic was admittedly a hard sell. Black Adam is the arch rival of the hero Shazam, but many general moviegoers just didn’t know enough about the character to take a chance on him in theaters. While the trailers dazzled with action, they blended in with all the MCU projects we’ve been getting lately. It just felt like another superhero movie to most people. The average audience were willing to wait another couple weeks to get their comic book fix with Wakanda Forever.
That’s a real shame because Black Adam was one of the most entertaining films of the entire year. Johnson was born to play Black Adam and his charisma was stronger than it’s ever been. In every frame you can tell how much Johnson loves the character. The action was no slouch either with some great street brawls featuring the classic Justice Society of America. Aldis Hodge’s Hawkman and Pierce Brosnan’s Doctor Fate gave this epic an extra jolt of energy that most films in this crowded genre just don’t have.
A Black Adam sequel was put into further question this week along with the reported cancelation of Wonder Woman 3 and Man of Steel 2. However, if this film wants to have a sequel, it might need to rely on old fashion methods to make their argument. This means toy and VOD sales.
Black Adam is still in theaters along with the film being on VOD. While we wait to hear the definitive fate of Johnson’s Man in Black and the rest of the DCU as we know it, you can watch the trailer for Black Adam down below.