Power dynamics at the box office are shifting. To top the domestic charts, “Black Adam,” from Warner Bros., needs to outperform its rival, “Ticket to Paradise.” The film starring Dwayne Johnson earned $26.8 million on its opening day, with $7.6 million coming from Thursday night showings. There are 4,402 theatres throughout the continent where the DC Comics movie will make its first appearance.
The DC Comics movie is expected to make $62.2 million in its opening weekend, making it the first wide release, to begin with, a profit of more than $50 million since Disney’s “Thor: Love and Thunder” opened to $144.1 million in July. Since the summer movie season was so successful, cinemas have been hoping for a surprise hit like “Black Adam” to bring in audiences during the quiet fall months.
A $62 million opening weekend for “Black Adam” would put it between the totals for 2018’s “Aquaman” ($67 million) and 2019’s “Shazam!” ($53 million), both of which are DC Films movies. In addition to introducing new characters to audiences, both films also managed healthy multipliers and excellent overseas results, which were sufficient to warrant sequels, both of which are scheduled for release in 2023.
The next few weeks will be crucial in establishing whether or not “Black Adam,” which cost $195 million to make, will be a financial success at the box office. Until November 11th, when Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” hits theatres, the film won’t have to worry about much in the way of heavyweight competition. However, if word-of-mouth isn’t particularly positive, it could struggle.
The majority of critics have panned “Black Adam,” giving it a 30% approval rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. With 41% approval from a larger group of critics, the film has improved but is still below average. According to Peter Debruge, chief film reviewer of Variety, “the shockingly serious-minded (but still fairly pulpy) project deprives Johnson of his greatest superpower — his sense of humor” while allowing the now-serious star an opportunity to play a character with “interesting paradoxes.”
There are heroes, there are villains and there is #BlackAdam
❤ this Tweet to be the first to get exclusive content, advance tickets, and reminders till #BlackAdam opens in theaters Oct 21. ⚡ pic.twitter.com/wFX1UOeCCy
— Black Adam Movie (@blackadammovie) September 9, 2022
Both of Marvel’s 2018 offerings, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and “Thor: Love and Thunder,” earned this grade after experiencing stronger openings and weaker retention compared to their more well-received series predecessors.
For “Black Adam,” an opening weekend gross of $62.2 million would be a good starting point. It’s a healthy sum, especially for a superhero movie based on a new character that audiences may not be familiar with, but it’s not as impressive as Marvel’s slate or DC’s own “The Batman.” What the general public thinks of Johnson’s anti-hero will become clear in the coming weeks.
“Black Adam,” a joint production of New Line Cinema Seven Bucks Productions Flynn Picture Company, and DC Films, centers on a godlike being who awakens after a 5,000-year slumber. Moreover, he is very angry.
The Justice League of America makes an effort to calm him down. The film also stars Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, and Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone in addition to Johnson.
Assuming a $16 million opening weekend, Universal’s “Ticket to Paradise” should take second place. That’s a lot of money for a romantic comedy, which has seen its popularity dwindle significantly since the turn of the century.
We chatted to @noahcent about his #BlackAdam co-stars and working with @TheRock, the last thing that made him cry and his dream super power pic.twitter.com/N7Rhh5nhqg
— Cosmopolitan UK (@CosmopolitanUK) October 22, 2022
Although “The Lost City,” starring Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum had an action hook, “Ticket” is expected to earn about half of that. The opening weekend was significantly better than that of the two critically panned romantic comedies of the year, “Bros” ($4.8 million) and “Marry Me” ($7.9 million).
There hasn’t been much praise for “Ticket,” with only 54% approval from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the film’s “A-” CinemaScore and healthy international gross show that audiences are enjoying it.
Even though “Ticket to Paradise” has only recently opened in the United States, it has already been a huge success in other countries, raking in $72.6 million abroad in just the past month. Universal believes the romantic comedy will resonate with audiences across North America and perform well in the weeks to come.
One Universal film is a smash hit, while another bomb. The sequel “Halloween Ends” is predicted to see a massive 80% drop from its $41 million opening weekend, which would be catastrophic for the film’s survival. That’s a lot worse than the 71% drop its horror franchise forerunner “Halloween Kills” experienced a year ago.
As “Smile” enters its fourth weekend in the top spot, “Ends” is expected to fall to the number four spot. The October release from Paramount has been doing well thanks to positive word of mouth.
At home, “Smile” is expected to increase its gross to $84.5 million, despite a projected 32% drop. To put it simply, we should expect the film to cross the $100 million mark at the box office sometime in the next few weeks. Not bad for a horror film that was meant to be a Paramount+ exclusive in the first place!
Espectacular la gran acogida a Dwayne Johnson en Madrid en la Premiere de #BlackAdam. La energía era increíble ⚡⚡⚡ ¡Gracias!
¡Ya en cines! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/KzzqA3TIFy— Warner Bros. España (@WarnerBrosSpain) October 21, 2022
Sony’s “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile,” which is projected to earn $4.4 million in its third weekend, should round out the top five. Not quite a box office smash, “Lyle” has benefited from a dearth of family-friendly musicals. Through Sunday, the film’s domestic total should rise to $28 million.
One other horror hit that became popular through word of mouth is, surprisingly, buried lower on the movie office lists. The independent distributor Bloody Disgusting’s epic splatter film “Terrifier 2” expanded into 55 more theatres this weekend, resulting in a 122% increase in box office revenue.
It’s predicted to debut at number six at the domestic box office, placing it ahead of such high-profile fall releases as “The Woman King,” “Don’t Worry Darling,” and “Amsterdam.” The low-budget video, which cost only $250,000 to make, has become famous for the passionate responses it inspires from viewers.
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