‘Black Adam’ Could Lose Up To $100M Overall

There used to be a time when Dwayne Johnson was known as “Franchise Viagra” for his ability to recharge flagging studio projects. While he’s still a huge star, that name hasn’t meant as much as it used to. For years he’s hyped up the arrival of Black Adam, his first superhero movie as part of the DCU. And while it came with gigantic expectations to change the “heirarchy of power”, the film is more likely to flush some Warner Bros. cash down the toilet.

According to VarietyBlack Adam could ultimately losing Warner Bros. Discovery between $50-$100M. Factor in the $195M production cost, plus around another $100M in marketing, and the numbers just don’t add up for the film and its $387M global haul. Not even an early debut on VOD has helped, as it would need around $600M to break even. Oof.

I hate stories like these, but as I’ve said before they’re worth covering if they have a potential impact on future films. The expectation was that Black Adam would be the start of a major DCU franchise, and perhaps it still will be. But this is a definite problem that new DC Studios chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran will have to consider.

 

Travis Hopson
Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.