Poor Reviews Don't Slow Black Adam

'Ticket to Paradise' does better than recent rom-coms
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 23, 2022 1:35 PM CDT
Black Adam Surpasses Big-Name Rom-Com
This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Dwayne Johnson in a scene from "Black Adam."   (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

Warner Bros.' Black Adam opened with an estimated $67 million, according to studio estimates Sunday, handing Dwayne Johnson his biggest box-office weekend as a leading man and launching the DC Comics character he spent a decade bringing to the big screen. Black Adam was a $200 million bid to upset the power balance in a DC Extended Universe dominated by the likes of Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman. The $67 million debut fell well shy of that stratosphere, even with the considerable draw of Johnson acting in his first superhero movie. Still, Black Adam managed the biggest opening weekend since Thor: Love and Thunder debuted with $143 million in July, the AP reports.

Black Adam, which stars Johnson as an ancient Egyptian summoned to the modern day, was notably hobbled by poor reviews (40% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). Moviegoers were kinder, giving the film a B+ CinemaScore. It collected $73 million internationally for a $140 million global haul. Ticket to Paradise, the Bali-set romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney, proved smart counterprogramming. The Universal Pictures release debuted with $16.3 million, well above recent sales for rom-coms. Ticket to Paradise had a notable advantage in its two stars and appealed particularly to older audiences; 64% of ticket buyers were 35 and up, the studio said.

Below are estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

  1. Black Adam, $67 million.
  2. Ticket to Paradise, $16.3 million.
  3. Smile, $8.4 million.
  4. Halloween Ends, $8 million.
  5. Lyle, Lyle Crocodile, $4.2 million.
  6. The Woman King, $1.9 million.
  7. Terrifier 2, $1.9 million.
  8. Don't Worry Darling, $880,000.
  9. Amsterdam, $811,000.
  10. Triangle of Sadness, $600,000.
(More box office stories.)

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