Movies

Black Adam ‘Powers Up To $25 Million Friday – Deadline

October 21, 2022

UPDATE, late Friday afternoon: We hear from sources that black adam is set to earn $25 million on Friday, which would easily be Dwayne Johnson’s best opening day among his solo projects. This list includes Hobbs & Shaw ($23.6M), mom comes back ($23.1M) Jumanji: next level ($19.7M) and San Andreas ($18.1 million). Today’s $25 million includes last night’s $7.6 million in previews.

A $25 million first day currently puts the New Line/DC movie at a $60 million start. Families might put that higher tomorrow; we will see. Leisure & Show opened at $60M the first weekend of August 2019. black adam also 16% behind F9 ($29.9 million), which reached an opening of $70 million. Triple note: Johnson did not play in F9however, it is used as a comp. black adam is booked in 4,402 rooms.

Universal holds second and third place respectively during this domestic box office frame with the romantic comedy George Clooney-Julia Roberts ticket to paradise ($5.5M Friday, $13.7M opening in 3,543 theaters) and the second weekend of Halloween ends ($2.7M Friday, from 87%, good for $8.7M at 3,901 theaters, -78%; cumulative total of $54.8M).

Paramount Horror Movie Weekend Four Smile is fourth with 3,296 cinemas. Its Friday is at $2.7 million, -30%, a three-day total of $8.9 million, -29%, and a running total of $84.8 million.

Sony’s Third Weekend Lyle, Lyle Crocodile in 3,536 theaters sees a Friday of $1.3M, -35%; a 3-day of $4.8M, -35%; and a cumulative total of $29.3 million.

PREVIOUSLY, Friday morning: The New Line Movie – DC Dwayne Johnson black adam accumulated $7.6 million premiering in 3,500 locations on Thursday, a figure that beats previous superstar preview nights for Fast and Furious 6 ($7.5M), Hobbs and Shaw ($5.8M), Jumanji: the next level ($4.7M), San Andreas ($3.1M) and Carnage ($2.4M). This is at least a very good start for Black Adam. Fans always go out on Thursday nights; hope it continues.

While critics aren’t fans at 43% Rotten, the Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes is much better at 88%. Previews started yesterday at 3 p.m.

Other comps black adam is better so far F9 ($7.1 million, in which Johnson did not star), The ant Man ($6.4M), Shazam! ($5.9M) and no time to die ($5.6 million). F9 opened at $70 million in May 2021, with the rest of these comps debuting in the $50 million range.

The last follow-up for black adam is over $60 million for its first image, cooling off from its $70 million number when it first arrived on the follow-up. The question remains how critically proof this movie can be. In the new world order of the box office at this point in the pandemic, tent poles have proven to be critic-proof, that is, Jurassic World Dominion was not slowed 29% on Rotten Tomatoes and opened to $145 million. There’s been nothing so bright and starry and sprawling as black adam from Sony High-speed train, which opened to $30 million the first weekend in August. Audiences are starving and hopefully for exposure reasons and Warner Bros. won’t scrutinize this new DC superhero too much before making the decision to hit the theaters this weekend.

As is the norm with Johnson, overseas prospects for black adam are brighter than domestic; the industry outlook for a global startup this weekend is around $135 million.

Johnson’s two highest preview nights were for films in which he was part of an ensemble: Furious 7 ($15.8M) and Fate of the Furgods ($10.4 million).

“Ticket to Paradise”

Universal images via YouTube

Universal meanwhile held previews for its romantic comedy George Clooney-Julia Roberts ticket to paradise, which grossed $1.1 million in 3,000 theaters excluding showings that began at 5 p.m. The studio is hoping for around $12 million. The film from Working Title, Smokehouse and Red Om Films has already pocketed nearly $73 million in 75 overseas markets, where it was No. 1 in 45 of them, including Brazil, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.

Universal had the No. 1 Movie of the Week with Blumhouse/Miramax’s Halloween ends, also available on Peacock, which earned $46.1 million from 3,901 theaters. Pic is expected to decline sharply due to its availability on the streamer, around 70%. It grossed $1.02 million on Thursday and was beaten by Paramount’s Smile which made $1.07M at 3,612. This genre film in its third week grossed $17.2M for a cumulative total of $76M.

Sony’s second week Lyle, Lyle Crocodile at 4,350 made $430,000 on Thursday, $9.1M for the week and has a running total of $24.6M.

The studio’s TriStar label was fourth with The female king in 2,565 theaters, a Thursday of $240,000, a fifth week of $4.9M and a cumulative of $61M.

Iconic Liberation Terrifying 2 over 700 sites made $220,000 yesterday, a second week of $1.9M and a cumulative total of $3.4M.