Black Adam, the DC superhero picture starring Dwayne Johnson, maintained its No. 1 position at the North American box office in its second weekend. Black Adam gained $27.7 million in ticket sales on Sunday, bringing its domestic total to $111.1 million, according to studio estimates. Ticket sales were down 59 percent from the opening weekend, and the film had little fresh competition (Oct 30).
Johnson spent a decade attempting to bring the character to the big screen, and he has plans for Superman sequels. However, Black Adam’s future remains unwritten despite its $250 million international gross. The Warner Bros. film carried a hefty $200 million price tag, not including marketing and promotion expenses, and a sequel has not been officially approved.
The studio has just unveiled a new leadership team consisting of Peter Safran and James Gunn, whose fondness for promoting lesser-known comic book characters is well-documented. And on Sunday, Johnson thanked those who worked behind the scenes to create “our NEW DC FRANCHISE known as BLACK ADAM” by posting a message to his 344 million Instagram followers regarding the conclusion of the world press tour.
Contrary to recent romantic comedy trends, viewers remained interested in Ticket To Paradise, Universal’s vacation comedy starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney, which slid only 37% in weekend two to grab second place. The genre has not been the safest choice at the box office recently, with films like Bros floundering in theaters, but the star power of Roberts and Clooney is proving difficult to ignore. The addition of $10 million from 3,692 North American cinemas brings Ticket To Paradise’s domestic total to $33.7 million. To date, it has made $119,4 million worldwide.
In contrast, horror films occupied positions three through five over the weekend preceding Halloween on Monday. Prey For The Devil by Lionsgate debuted in third place with $7 million from 2,980 theaters. Among the three horror films, it is the only one with a PG-13 classification. The other films were classified R.
Keep Reading
Smile placed fourth in its fifth weekend with an additional US$5.1 million, taking its domestic total to US$92.4 million (on a budget of US$17 million), while Halloween Ends placed fifth in its third weekend with US$3.8 million. Ends, which has grossed $60,3 million in North America, was simultaneously published on the streaming site Peacock by NBC Universal.
Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore, remarked, “This is just another mandate in favor of horror. It’s not simply because it’s October; horror films have been popular throughout the outbreak. It is a genre that consistently performs well at the box office.”
Till, directed by Chinonye Chukwu and starring Mamie Till-Mobley, went wide this weekend, collecting $2,8 million from 2,058 locations to place seventh. With a 98 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the United Artists Releasing film has received positive word of mouth, much of it has centered on the performance of Danielle Deadwyler.
This weekend also witnessed the growth of numerous prominent films, including Todd Field’s Tár, which grossed $1 million and landed in tenth place after expanding to 1,087 theaters worldwide. Cate Blanchett’s portrayal of a legendary composer and conductor at the Venice Film Festival last month earned her the top acting award.
The Banshees Of Inisherin, another winner at Venice, expanded to 58 theaters and 12 new markets over the weekend. The film starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson and directed by Martin McDonagh made $540,000. Next weekend, the Searchlight Pictures rollout will expand to approximately 800 venues.
Aftersun expanded to 17 locations where it grossed $75,242, bringing its total gross earnings to $166,030. The father-daughter picture starring Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio and distributed by A24 will continue to expand during awards season.
Armageddon Time debuted in six New York and Los Angeles theaters, grossing $72,000. Gray drew on his own upbringing to tell the tale of a Queens, New York, 11-year-old in the autumn of 1980. Banks Repeta, Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, and Anthony Hopkins feature in the picture, which debuted at Cannes earlier this year.
In contrast, the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on November 11 will signal a relative lull in terms of blockbuster films.
