Dwayne Johnson's persistent pursuit to bring Black Adam to the screen might not suffice to bring the DC character back for a sequel.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the numbers of the first film don't add up to guarantee a second. The movie has only grossed $385 million worldwide against a budget that might be anywhere between $190 million and $230 million before marketing, according to different sources. As a common rule of thumb, a mainstream Hollywood production is considered to need to earn triple its budget before making a profit. Applying this rule, Black Adam will be lucky to break even, even when figuring in ancillary revenue from home viewing and merchandising. Should the movie end up making a minimal profit, experts still see little chance for a sequel, as follow-ups usually come at higher production costs than their predecessors.
In a tweet, Johnson vehemently denied that the movie won't make a considerable profit, projecting the final tally to be up to $72 million on the plus side. Johnson's tweet was a reaction to earlier news reports seeing the film lose Warner Bros. Pictures up to $ 100 million.
The character Black Adam, originally created as a super villain in 1945, had been a favorite of Johnson for a long time. He had pursued playing him since being involved in a then-unrealized Shazam! adaptation in 2007 in which Black Adam served as the villain while Johnson was originally considered for the title role. It was eventually decided to give the character his own film, with Johnson also serving as a producer.
Black Adam May Not Return for a Sequel
Black Adam did not only introduce the title character to the cinematic DC Universe -- it also saw the big-screen debut of Hawkman as well as the surprise return of Henry Cavill as Superman. According to insiders, Johnson's insistence to bring back Cavill is another point that doesn't sit well with the new management at DC Studios. Johnson and Cavill share a manager in Dany Garcia, who also happens to be Johnson’s producing partner.
In one of the most surprising moves of the year, James Gunn and Peter Safran were made co-heads of DC Studios, overseeing film, TV and animation. They are expected to bring significant changes to how DC properties are represented on big and small screens. The next DC Studios production, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, is scheduled to be released on March 17, 2023.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter