Black Adam,which was always set to make waves for DC, has surpassed expectations by earning $67 million at the domestic box office and $140 million at the global box office. Meanwhile,Halloween Endshas suffered an 80% drop in its earnings since its release last week.
Black Adampreviously debuted to mixed reviews from critics. As with mostmovies featuring Dwayne Johnson, his presence basically printed money for executives.Halloween Ends,meanwhile, also debuted to mixed-to-negative reviews from critics but probably failed to keep its lead at the box office due to poor word-of-mouth and because of the ‘day-and-date’ release strategy over at Universal, which means that the film is available for viewing on Peacock.
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According to a report byVariety,Black Adamdebuted at #1. The film was expected to debut at $62 million, but ticket sales were stronger than predicted, and the studio revised its estimates to $67 million domestically. Analysts appeared to agree that the debut was not ‘earth-shattering,’ but it is a strong debut that will probably guarantee a comfortable profit, justifying furtherBlack Adamsequels including the potentialfight between Superman and Black Adamthat was teased by Johnson.
On the other hand,Halloween Endsfell from first to fourth at the box office. It earned about $8 million, which represents an 80% drop from its $41 million debut, which was lower than expected. The studio’s day-and-date release has been speculated to causethe lowHalloween Endsbox office earnings. This strategy involves releasing the film in theaters and streaming it at the same time. Numerous studios, Universal among them, have adopted this strategy in the past few years, initially fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting anemic theater industry.
Black AdamandHalloween Endshad comparable critical responses, but fairly different responses from diehards.Halloween Endsfaced a fan backlash, who felt the film took itself too seriously, was too campy, and ultimately unsatisfying. Many also felt that series villain Michael Myers was underutilized. This poor fan reception probably didn’t help the film overcome the day-and-date strategy, and it probably could have benefited from repeat theater experiences from fans.
On the other hand,Black Adampleased diehard fans a bit more. Theleak of theBlack Adammid-credits sceneinspired some celebration among fans, and several other elements in the film turned out to be crowd-pleasers. While it was not a perfect film, it appeared to at least satisfy audiences and leave them wanting more.
Black Adamis now in theaters whileHalloween Endsis available in theaters and on Peacock.
