Black Adam’s $393 million box office haul now looks less bad after three more DCEU films were released next year. The Dwayne Johnson film was released in October 2022 to average reviews. Many fans didn’t like the heavy action, weak story, weak script, and flat characters. Those hoping for a big change in the DCEU were not happy.
Because of this, the film didn’t do well in theaters. It was also sold as the first major step on a new path for DC. But instead of leading to Black Adam 2 or saving the DCEU, it marked the beginning of its downfall. A week after its release, DC said that James Gunn would reboot the entire DC universe. Even though Black Adam only grossed $393 million worldwide on a budget of $260 million, subsequent DCEU films have made a small amount of money.
About Black Adam
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jaume Collet-Serra |
| Written by | Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani |
| Based on | Characters from DC |
| Produced by | Beau Flynn, Hiram Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia |
| Starring | Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Quintessa Swindell, Marwan Kenzari, Pierce Brosnan |
| Cinematography | Lawrence Sher |
| Edited by | Mike Sale, John Lee |
| Music by | Lorne Balfe |
| Production Companies | New Line Cinema, DC Films, Seven Bucks Productions, FlynnPictureCo. |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release Dates | October 3, 2022 (Mexico City), October 21, 2022 (United States) |
| Running Time | 125 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Black Adam Box Office Collection
| Category | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|
| Worldwide Gross | $393 million |
| Production Budget | $195 million |
| Estimated Break-even Point | $600 million |
| Domestic (North America) Gross | $168 million |
| International Gross | $225 million |
| Estimated Losses | $50–100 million |
Black Adam Cast & Crew
| Actor/Actress | Character Name | Role/Description |
|---|---|---|
| Dwayne Johnson | Teth-Adam / Black Adam | Former slave turned anti-hero with powers of six Egyptian gods. Also voiced character in DC League of Super-Pets. |
| Benjamin Patterson | Teth-Adam (Body Double) | Body double for Teth-Adam’s human form; Johnson’s face superimposed. |
| Aldis Hodge | Carter Hall / Hawkman | Justice Society leader using Nth metal technology and weapons. |
| Noah Centineo | Albert “Al” Rothstein / Atom Smasher | Young Justice Society member who can control his size and strength. |
| Sarah Shahi | Adrianna Tomaz | Professor and resistance fighter in modern-day Kahndaq; ally to Adam. |
| Marwan Kenzari | Ishmael Gregor / Sabbac | Main villain, last descendant of King Ahk-Ton, empowered by six demons. Also plays King Ahk-Ton. |
| Quintessa Swindell | Maxine Hunkel / Cyclone | Justice Society member with wind powers, granddaughter of Red Tornado. |
| Bodhi Sabongui | Amon Tomaz | Adrianna’s teenage son who befriends Adam and sees him as a hero. |
| Pierce Brosnan | Kent Nelson / Doctor Fate | Senior Justice Society member with mystical Helmet of Fate and sorcery powers. |
| Mohammed Amer | Karim | Adrianna’s brother and Amon’s uncle. |
| James Cusati-Moyer | Samir | Colleague of Adrianna and Karim. |
| Jalon Christian | Hurut | Adam’s son and original Champion of Kahndaq. |
| Uli Latukefu | Hurut (Superhero form) | Portrays Hurut in his empowered form. |
| Odelya Halevi | Shiruta | Adam’s wife, murdered by King Ahk-Ton’s men. |
| Henry Winkler | Al Pratt | Cameo as Rothstein’s uncle and former Atom Smasher. |
| Djimon Hounsou | Shazam | Reprises his role as the wizard from Shazam! |
| Jennifer Holland | Emilia Harcourt | Reprises her role from The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. |
| Viola Davis (Uncredited) | Amanda Waller | Reprises her DCEU role in a cameo. |
| Henry Cavill (Uncredited) | Superman | Cameo appearance as Superman. This was his final role in the DCEU. |
| (Uncredited) | Demons (Satan, Aym, Belial, etc.) | Voice actors for Sabbac’s demon powers (uncredited). |
Plot
Amon (Bodhi Sabongui) is a young boy who loves to tease the people who control his country, Kahndak. His mother, Adriana (Sarah Shahi), is on their wanted list because they believe she is part of a rebel group. Adriana is trying to learn more about the ancient history of Kahndak dating back to 2600 BC. She, along with her brother Karim (Mohammed Amer) and their friend Ismail (Marwan Kanzari), search for a crown with powerful powers. Long ago, a king had a crown, and many stories say that it holds great magic. While searching for the crown, they awaken Teth (Black) Adam (Dwayne Johnson), who has been asleep for 5,000 years. Long ago, Teth died fighting the king, but the gods gave him special powers to stop the king’s cruel rule. Later, when he misused those powers, the gods imprisoned him.
Amon and Adriana believe that Teth is a hero who has returned to save Kahndak from those in power. But Teth Adam is not the hero they believe. The Justice Society appears to stop Teth from harming Kahndak. The group consists of Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Cyclone (Quintesa Swindell), and Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo). They must fight both Teth Adam and the country’s soldiers. They must also deal with the people of Kahndak who believe Teth is their protector. Now, Teth Adam must choose what kind of person he wants to be.
Violence
Black Adam does a lot of things, including fighting, throwing people, destroying buildings and cars, and causing big explosions – but there isn’t much bloodshed or gunfire. For example:
- Black Adam fights off several soldiers who are shooting at him, but he doesn’t do anything. Adam grabs a soldier by the neck.
- The soldier burns himself in his hand and his head falls off. Adam kills all the soldiers.
- The soldiers chase after Amon and knock him down. Adriana fights back and kills the soldiers.
- Black Adam and Hawkman fight each other for a while.
- Ishmael shoots Karim in the stomach. Blood is visible from his wound.
- Black Adam remembers that the king’s men were killing his wife, who is shown in dark shadows. He also sees his son Harut shot and killed with an arrow.
- In the last major battle, a weapon cuts Ishmael in two.
Why won’t Black Adam 2 happen?
Black Adam is set to hit theaters in October 2022. It has been in the works since the early 2000s. Dwayne Johnson had high hopes for the role. He also said, “The hierarchy of power in the DC Universe is about to change.”
The film, directed by Jungle Cruise’s Jaume Collette-Serra, was expected to gross around $600 million worldwide. But it grossed less than $400 million, making it the biggest box office flop of 2022.
A few weeks after its release, DC Studios got new bosses – James Gunn and Peter Safran. They changed the studio’s entire plan. He has dropped several projects, including Man of Steel 2 and Wonder Woman 3.
The new DC Universe will begin in 2025 with Superman, with David Kornswet playing the new Superman. The first part of the new story, called Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, will not feature Black Adam.
In December 2022, Johnson shared a note saying that Black Adam “will not be in the first chapter of his story telling.” But he also said that the character could return in “future chapters of the DC Multiverse.”
Gunn responded in kind, writing, “@LoveTheRock and I are always excited to see what he and Seven Bucks do next. Can’t wait to work together again soon.”
Later, Johnson called the release of Black Adam 2 “one of the biggest mysteries.” In the Heart to Heart show, he said, “Black Adam was caught in a whirlwind of new leaders. There were a lot of changes happening…
“You get the biggest opening of your career. Yeah, there’s no release in China that can add another $100 million or $200 million.
“You create a superhero and you want to develop the world around him. You bring back Superman and Henry Cavill, and the fans are excited. We also made room for a mix of heroes with men and women of color in Black Adam.”