Deadline reports that Black Adam managed to earn $7.6 million from Thursday previews. That's a personal best for star Dwayne Johnson, topping Fast and Furious 6's $7.5 million. This is a solid start, anyway, and one that's seen it top the likes of Ant-Man ($6.4 million), Shazam! ($5.9 million), and even No Time to Die ($5.6 million).
Weekend estimates have dipped a little, with bullish $70 million estimates dropping to around the $60 million mark.
Ironically, Johnson has talked a lot about wanting to keep Black Adam separate from the Shazam! franchise, but this movie now looks set to earn only slightly more than that blockbuster (which scored a $53.5 million opening weekend). Original plans called for Black Adam to debut in the 2019 release, though the actor would dissuade Warner Bros. from that course of action.
Whether Black Adam is critic-proof remains to be seen.
As of right now, the movie has a 41% Rotten Tomatoes score based on over 150 verdicts. That's the lowest rating for a DC Comics adaptation since 2017's Justice League (39%). It sits behind Wonder Woman 1984 (58%) and Man of Steel (56%), but in front of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (29%) and Suicide Squad (26%).
"Come for The Rock’s pitch-perfect take on Black Adam and stay for an unmissable post-credits scene," we said in our review of the movie. "Then, just try to forget everything else, because this brainless, brawny superhero movie is not the fresh start the DCEU desperately needs."
This isn't the fresh start for the DCEU many fans were hoping for, and it sadly looks destined to become yet another "Rotten" entry into the troubled franchise. Needless to say, it's going to be an interesting couple of days.
Will you be checking out Black Adam in theaters this weekend?
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