Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam was teased for years before it was finally released in 2022, only to receive mixed reviews and become a box office bomb. The superhero film had a total budget of $260 million and only managed to recover $393 million at the box office. The film was termed a box office disaster and was among the DCU’s biggest flops.
Though Johnson’s film failed to break even, it seems to have found a new place where it could taste some success. According to the British Association for Screen Entertainment, Black Adam trumped 2023’s biggies such as Barbie, Oppenheimer, John Wick: Chapter 4, and more in DVD sales and became the highest-selling title on DVD in the UK.
Why Did Black Adam Flop At The Box Office?
Dwayne Johnson was in talks to enter the DC universe as early as 2006 and was approached to play Shazam in a film based on the character. However, The Rock was reportedly more interested in portraying the anti-hero Black Adam and was finally cast in the role in 2014, after Warner Brothers planned their slate of films for the DCU.
The film finally saw the light of day in mid-2021, when it began filming and was released to theatres in October 2022. However, the film received mostly negative reviews, criticizing its direction, CGI, and writing. The film was also not well-received by audiences, resulting in a terrible box office opening. The Dwayne Johnson-led superhero film only earned $393 million against a reported $190 to $260 million budget.
Though the figures seem to indicate a loss, according to Deadline, the film reportedly turned a profit through other avenues of income with mostly PVOD or Premium Video on Demand sales turning in a reported $52 million profit for the studio. However, these figures were then reported to be false and Dwayne Johnson’s team was accused of providing wrong information, as revealed by The Direct.
The film was intended to be a change in the creative direction of the DCEU but ultimately became a nail in the coffin for the franchise. Though subsequent films in the franchise before James Gunn’s DCU such as The Flash, bombed at the box office in more spectacular ways, Black Adam remained one of DC’s biggest duds.
Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam Gets A New Lease Of Life In The UK
Though Dwayne Johnson’s sole superhero effort Black Adam had a terrible time in theatres, it seemed to have done better on home video. The superhero film seemed to have benefited from its source material’s popularity as it ranked first for weeks on digital platforms such as iTunes, Google Play, and Vudu.
The 4K, Blu-Ray, and DVD releases of the film reportedly gave it even more traction after its release in January 2023. Black Adam was reportedly the top-selling title on disc for January and beat out the top spot for films such as Top Gun: Maverick and Halloween Ends. The figures were tracked by the NDP Group.
The Dwayne Johnson starrer also reportedly beat out top titles of 2023 such as Barbie, Oppenheimer, and John Wick: Chapter 4 in DVD sales in the UK and was the top-selling DVD title in 2023. The figures were released by the group British Association for Screen Entertainment, which credited the value of big family titles to its success. The film reportedly sold 80,000 units in DVD sales.
