Warner Bros./DC’s “Black Adam”It remains in franchise limbo with a drop of 59% from its $67million opening to gross $27.7million in its second weekend. This brought its domestic total to $111million over its 10-day span.
It’s been clear, as noted in our WrapPRO column this past week, that Dwayne Johnson’s star power is drawing some moviegoers to theaters to see this latest superhero film when they otherwise might not have been interested. On Twitter, Johnson proudly touted the film’s strong 88% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, a possible sign of long-term interest.
However, unless China has an extraordinaryly strong run, “Black Adam,” which currently has a global gross of $250 million, is trending towards a final total similar to the $164 million domestic/$402 million global total that last year’s Marvel film “Eternals” earned. Like that film. “Black Adam”It received a CinemaScore B+ and is now showing the same unexceptional holdover numbers as recent Marvel films after getting that grade.
This leaves the future of Black Adam in DC Studios’ plans unclear, as the superhero franchise charts a new course under new CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran. The horrible theatrical box-office run of “The Suicide Squad” didn’t stop Gunn and Safran’s rise to the top seat of DC as the film led to the hit HBO Max series “Peacemaker.” But it is unknown at this point whether they and Warner Bros. think there’s enough audience interest in Black Adam to move forward with the character or if Gunn and Safran’s vision for DC meshes with the one that Johnson has publicly touted to the media.
In second this weekend is Universal’s “Ticket to Paradise,” which had a stronger hold with a $10 million second weekend, a 39% drop from the romcom’s $16 million opening. With a domestic run of $33.7 million in 10 days, the George Clooney/Julia Roberts movie is struggling. However, strong overseas numbers are helping this $60m film make a profit. The film has earned $119.3million worldwide.
Horror films complete the Top 5, starting with Lionsgate’s “Prey for the Devil”With a $7 million opening in 2,980 theaters, it came in third. This low-budget horror movie has received a mixed reception from critics and audiences. However, Lionsgate hopes that the film will earn a lot of money from teens who are looking for a Halloween film with a PG-13 rating.
Paramount’s “Smile” and Universal/Blumhouse’s “Halloween Ends”Complete the Top 5 “Smile”Its incredible run continues with $5 million in its fifth week. Domestically, the total was $92 million “Smile”Has passed the domestic horror hit of summer terror “The Black Phone”It is currently in the process of joining “Nope”This is the second horror film that has grossed $100 million in North America.
“Halloween Ends,”As it drops below, however, the box office continues its frontloaded run. “Smile”The charts were at $3.8 million for its third weekend, and the total domestic sales of $60 million was $60 million. “Ends” is set to finish below the $92 million domestic total of last year’s “Halloween Kills,” though it stands as Peacock’s most-watched film after it released day-and-date on the streaming service.
