Black Adam’s release was surrounded by excitement and suspense, all for the right reasons. Whether it was Henry Cavill’s return as Superman, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s DC debut, or the Justice Society of America bringing new faces to the superhero universe, the movie was well worth the hype.
While critics weren’t too pleased by how the movie turned out, fans think otherwise. Despite all the support from the fans, the movie had an underwhelming response at the box office, even after the movie not receiving an R rating. Since movies with violence are mostly rated R, the question arises as to why Black Adam was an exception. Well, the editor of Black Adam seems to have answered that question.
Dwayne Johnson’s role in Black Adam being PG-13
Everyone knows by now the hold lead actor Dwayne Johnson had on his DC debut film. He somehow even convinced the creators of the much-awaited Henry Cavill return. Therefore, it isn’t surprising that he was the reason behind the movie not getting an R rating.
Johnson has been in the industry for a long time now and has created a familiar fan base that includes youngsters and families. Hence, the actor being a household name stopped Black Adam from being an R-rated movie. Even though the movie was originally rated R by the MPAA, the team had to go through four rounds with them to secure the movie’s PG-13 rating.
So, why were the creators so adamant about keeping the movie from getting an R rating? In an interview with Screen Rant, editor Michael L. Sale revealed that while the movie had more darkness to it, producers pressurized the editors to pull back a bit. Because of Johnson’s reputation, Sale had to edit the movie so as to cater to a wider audience and set the tone for Black Adam becoming a box office hit. Keeping the movie R-Rated would’ve intervened with the plan.
“What I was getting from the producers was that we wanted to ensure [it wasn’t too heavy]. There was a thing coming from the director and the producers that, ‘Hey, we want to make this movie for everybody. Dwayne’s got a huge fan base, and he has a family fan base.’ For us, it wasn’t about keeping with any tone of DC, past or present. It was about establishing our tone and our brand and the Black Adam brand.”
While Sale stated that he personally would have loved to see a much darker and more violent version of the movie, it wasn’t about what he or the team wanted to see. Instead, it was about creating Black Adam’s brand and catering to family audiences. He added that the vision worked out just fine as the theatres were filled with people of all age groups.
Also Read: Black Adam Strikes The Biggest Opening For The Rock
An Underwhelming Response to Black Adam
Even though the movie was rated PG-13 to incorporate more audience into the theatres, it hasn’t quite surpassed expectations. Despite the excessive promotions and a huge cameo from the Man of Steel himself, the movie has so far collected only about $250 million at the box office, worldwide. According to reports, the movie is looking forward to closing at just a $500 million worldwide collection.
This does turn out to be a little underwhelming as DC movies usually make way more than this. Aquaman made more than a whopping $1 billion at the worldwide box office.
Even after excessive promotions, big names in the ensemble, and a creative storyline, Black Adam didn’t do as well as the fans hoped. Is this finally the beginning of the end of the superhero genre?
Black Adam is currently playing in the theatres.
Source: Screen Rant
