Legendary rivals Black Adam and Shazam! go one more round and this time Dwayne Johnson’s antihero comes atop the box office projections.
Black Adam is projected to defeat Shazam!’s box office, according to new forecasts. Starring Zachary Levi as Billy Batson (also played by Asher Angel), Shazam! was released in April 2019. The film offered a lighter entry into the DC Extended Universe, the focus on family and teen superhero comedy that blended well with the darker sides of the villainous Dr. Sivana (Mark Strong). Ensuring a shift in the DCEU’s movie fare in terms of tone and focus on an isolated hero rather than an expanded universe, Shazam! almost the old DC Comics enemy of the titular hero, Black Adam.
Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson was the one who gave Warner Bros. originally convinced to give his character a chance to star outside of Billy Batson’s film debut, paving the way for the next DCEU project. The titular character Teth-Adam will instead take center stage in his DCEU debut, as Black Adam explores his background as a Kahndaq slave who acquires powers similar to Shazam’s and uses them to fight for his home. Johnson has teased before Black Adam as a movie that will bring big changes to the DCEU, a hint at the scale of the movie. As one of the longest-developed DCEU movies, fans are curious to see if Black Adam will be worth both the hype and the wait.
According to a recent report by Variety, predictive data from their intelligence platform shows impressive predicted turnout for black Adam, with a projected pull of $328 million. The report states Black Adam third in terms of upcoming box office releases, with only highly anticipated sequels Avatar: The way of the water and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever for the. Compared to the DCEU’s last solo origin film, Black Adam is set to more than double Shazam!‘s debut of $159.1 million when it comes out on October 21, even more impressive when you consider the lower box office numbers of 2022 compared to 2019.
What Black Adam’s Box Office Projections Mean for DCEU’s Future
Pop culture juggernaut Johnson’s appeal probably goes a long way Black Adamthe expected success, as well as the marketing of this film as a game-changer for the DCEU. With a complicated history and a muddled present given the recent Flash and batgirl controversies, the predictions of gross $328 million are promising when it comes to the future of the DCEU. With a more serious and gritty tone, real political implications (as described by star Mohammed Amer), and focus on a morally gray anti-hero rather than a black-and-white heroic figure, Black Adam is a completely different project than Shazam!. Based on these early box office projections, it’s possible that the DCEU will take note and lean more on anti-hero stories as it continues to grow, perhaps even placing Johnson’s character in a leadership position in the larger DCEU.
although Black Adam and Shazam! both seem to follow the route of standalone origin stories, it’s possible Shazam! The wrath of the gods will see the titular hero continue from his beginnings and take on a new role in the DCEU. by both Black Adam and the Shazam! sequel due out this year, it’s possible that the characters’ legendary connections will be teased in one of the upcoming projects. Based on the composition of the DCEU’s upcoming series of films, which have a minimal focus on team-ups or crossovers, it will be interesting to see if the two legendary rivals will interact on-screen anytime soon, especially if Black Adam‘s success supports the larger franchise that has plagued Johnson.
Source: Variety
