It took 15 long years for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to turn his DC dream into a reality and now that it finally did, I think we can safely say that Black Adam wasn't able to live up to the hype. The superhero offering which marks the "end" of Walter Hamada's DC Universe has only grossed $350 million so far at the worldwide box office as it ends its theatrical run.
Coinciding with the film's release, Johnson revealed his future plans for the character and his vision for the DCU altogether. However, a new report casts doubt on the film's sequel possibilities and its underwhelming box office performance might be the culprit.
The Wrap reports that Black Adam's box office revenue isn't enough to turn a profit which could potentially lead to Warner Bros. Discovery changing its mind about greenlighting a sequel. To be fair, Shazam! only grossed $366 million during its theatrical run but it was still given a sequel.
Black Adam's case is different, however, as the production company was hoping to capitalize on The Rock's popularity and box office pull.
For comparison, Marvel Studios' Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has already grossed $200 million just days after its premiere. On the DC side of things, Matt Reeves' The Batman, released earlier this year generated an impressive $770 million at the global box office.
Also Read: Black Panther 2 and Black Adam Now Likely to Skip China Release
With all the hype surrounding The Rock's first superhero movie, it's quite unfortunate that Black Adam wasn't able to reach its box office potential. Now, whether or not its low earnings will result in the sequel getting canned remains to be seen but seeing as the actor has some creative pull in the "new" DCU, I still believe he'll get another shot.
DC's Black Adam is still screening in cinemas worldwide.
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