The following contains spoilers for Black Adam, now playing in theaters.
Black Adam is already off to a strong start at the domestic box office.
According to Deadline, the latest installment in the DC Extended Universe made $7.6 million in Thursday night previews across 3,500 locations, a figure that ranks as one of the best opening nights for the actor. Black Adam's Thursday night earnings are higher than Fast and Furious 6 ($7.5M), Hobbs and Shaw ($5.8M), Jumanji: The Next Level ($4.7M), San Andreas ($3.1M) and Rampage ($2.4M), with Furious 7 ($15.8M) and Fate of the Furious ($10.4M) serving as the only two films starring Johnson to make more than Black Adam on their opening nights.
While Black Adam was initially tracking to debut with a $65M+ opening weekend at the domestic box office, the Warner Bros. and New Line film has since cooled to around $60M+. Industry sources have noted that if Black Adam exceeds $68.1 million in its opening weekend, the film will become Johnson's best solo opening, a record currently held by 2001's The Mummy Returns. Even if Black Adam comes in on the lower end of its tracking, the film will still best the opening weekend for 2019's Shazam!, which opened to $53.5 million in April 2019. Johnson's antihero was originally slated to star in Shazam! as the main antagonist before the actor convinced the studio to give the two DC characters their own films.
DC Has a Lot Riding on Black Adam
Johnson repeatedly stated ahead of Black Adam's premiere that the film would usher in "a new era" for the DCEU. While critics have responded negatively to the film, audiences have reacted much more positively with the audience score for the film at a healthy 88 percent on Rotten Tomatoes compared to the 43 percent rotten critics' score. Fans have responded particularly well to Black Adam's post-credits scene, which features the grand return of Henry Cavill's Superman. Johnson has shared that Black Adam will serve as the start of "Phase 1" of the DCEU's future, which will reportedly include sequels to Man of Steel, Wonder Woman 1984 and The Flash. A Black Adam vs. Superman film has also been teased by Johnson as well as solo films for the members of the Justice Society of America, who were introduced in Black Adam.
The latest DCEU film follows Teth Adam as he is freed from his earthly tomb 5,000 years after being bestowed with the almighty powers of the ancient gods. Ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world, Black Adam's brute tactics attract the attention of the Justice Society. However, despite successfully preventing the Justice Society from stopping his rampage, Black Adam finds himself teaming up with the superheroes to stop a force more powerful than Adam himself that threatens to destroy the world.
Black Adam is currently playing in theaters.
Source: Deadline