Black Adam calls down $7.6M in Thursday Night Previews at the box office

Fans of superhero cinema showed up at theaters on Thursday to find out if DC’s Black Adam is going to “change the hierarchy” of the genre. New Line and DC‘s super-powered slugfest starring Dwayne Johnson as the titular anti-hero, earned $7.6 million in Thursday Night Preview screenings. The opening total marks a new high for the former wrestler turned Hollywood superstar when stacked against the following films: 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).

Analysts have adjusted Black Adam’s opening weekend total from $70M to $60M based on early reviews and the temperature of social media posts about the film. Black Adam is taking a beating from critics, with many saying the movie is a mediocre spectacle that crumples under its weight. On the other side of the spectrum, casual audiences and comic book fans enjoy the film much more. If Rotten Tomatoes is your barometer for quality, Black Adam stands at the crossroads of a 43% Critic Rating based on 153 reviews and an 88% Audience Score based on 500+ ratings. While it’s a tad antagonistic, some moviegoers have posted images of themselves in empty theaters, casting doubt on the film’s opening weekend performance numbers.

A packed house for #BlackAdam! pic.twitter.com/WpooxSgIaU

— Greg Miller (@GameOverGreggy) October 21, 2022

Despite the lukewarm reception to Black Adam, producers Beau Flynn and Hiram Garcia recently told JoBlo’s Chris Bumbray that Johnson’s character is a priority for the studio.

“This project and Black Adam in this world is something that he’s (Johnson) been working so hard to bring to life,” said Garcia. “And, and all of us, Beau (Flynn) and myself and Dany (Garcia), the other producer from Seven Bucks, and Dwayne, it’s been a lifelong mission to bring this to life. And now that we’re finally here… we have so many stories we want to tell in this space, and, you know, um, we always like to joke…. we have a saying that we call the “Moses Project”, where basically when the project’s ready, everything kind of parts and this rises up.”

He adds: “Black Adam is just one of those projects where, you know, he’s at a great place in his career where he’s very selective about what he wants to do, but he wants to tell many stories in this universe and in the DC universe and keep reprising this character. So I think the more we get ready, the more he’ll always make space so that we can make these movies and he can be in them.”

Did you contribute to Black Adam‘s Thursday Night Previews total? Do you plan on seeing the movie this weekend? Let us know in the comments section.