Black Adam

Black Adam is a 2022 American superhero film based on the DC character of the same name. Produced by New Line Cinema, DC Films, Seven Box Productions and Flynn Pictures. and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a spin-off for Shazam! (2019) and the 11th film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film is directed by Jaume Collet-Serer and written by Adam Sztykiel and the writing team of Rory Haynes and Sohrab Noshirvani. It stars Dwayne Johnson as Teth-Adam/Black Adam, an ancient superhuman who is released from his magical prison by a group of archaeologists to free the Kahandak nation from the crime syndicate Intergang, whose local leader plans to obtain an ancient relic. Sabaka’s crown to take control of the nation. Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Quintessa Swindell and Pierce Brosnan appear in supporting roles.

Johnson was associated with Shazam! It was early in development and confirmed to portray the villainous Black Adam in September 2014, but at Johnson’s request, producers later decided to give the character his own film. Sztykiel was hired in October 2017. Collet-Serra joined with a planned release date of December 2019, but this timeline was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional casting took place the following year, with the script rewritten by Haynes and Noshirvani, four members of the Justice Society of America. Principal photography took place from April to August 2021 at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, and in Los Angeles.

Black Adam premiered in Mexico City on October 3, 2022, and was released in theaters in the United States on October 21. The film, which received mixed reviews from critics, grossed $393 million worldwide and was labeled a box-office bomb for failing to break even. Even so.

Details

In 2600 BC, the tyrannical King Ahok-Ton of Kahandak enslaved his people to mine the mythical metal Eternium, using it to create the Crown of Sabbaq to gain power and invincibility. After attempting a rebellion, a young slave boy is given the powers of Shazam by the Wizard Council, transforming him into the heroic champion of Kahandak. He kills Ahok-ton, ending his reign.

In the present day, Kahndak is oppressed by Intergang, a criminal organization, as Adriana Tomaz, an archaeologist, along with her brother Karim and colleagues Samir and Ismail, try to locate the crown of Sabak. Inside the tomb, Adriana receives the crown, but Intergang soldiers kill Samir. As a last resort, he recites an incantation that awakens Teth-Adam. US government official Amanda Waller considers Adam a threat; After he kills Intergang soldiers, he contacts the Justice Society to arrest him. Justice Society members Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Cyclone, and Atom Smasher stop Adam’s assassination and explain to Adriana that Adam was not a savior but a captive murderer.

Ismail reveals himself as the leader of Intergang’s Kahndak division and kidnaps Adriana’s son Amon, who hid the crown. Ishmael revealed himself as the last descendant of Ahok-ton. The team finds the crown and returns it to save Amon. Ishmael tries to shoot Amon, causing Adam to lose control, killing Ishmael and injuring Amon.

Wracked with guilt, Adam escapes and reveals to Hawkman that it was Adam’s son, Hurut, who was given Shazam’s powers. Knowing that Hurut was invincible, Ahok-ton ordered the assassins to kill Hurut’s family. Hurut gave his father his powers to save his life, and Ahk-ton’s assassins promptly killed the de-powered Hurut, causing an enraged Adam to kill the king’s men and destroy his palace. Deemed unworthy by the Council of Wizards, Adam kills them all in a rage except Shazam, who imprisons him with the Crown of Sabbaq.

Feeling unable to become a true hero, Adam surrenders and the Justice Society transports him to a secret underwater Task Force X Black site in Antarctica, where Emilia Harcourt keeps him immobilized. Fate again predicts Hawkman’s impending death. The Justice Society realizes that Ishmael deliberately provoked Adam to kill him in order to be reincarnated as Sabbaq, the champion of the Six Named Demons.

When Sabbak summons the Legions of Hell to terrorize Kahandak, the Justice Society tries unsuccessfully to stop Sabbak. Fate believes that Hawkman’s death can be avoided through his self-sacrifice and fights Sabbak alone. Fate uses astral projection to free Adam before he is killed by Sabbak. Meanwhile, Amon, Adriana, and Karim rally the people to fight the Legions of Hell. Sabbak defeats Hawkman, but Adam arrives in time to kill Sabbak, causing the Legions of Hell to disappear. The Justice Society leaves on good terms with Adam, who destroys the old throne in the belief that Kahandak needs a protector, not a ruler. He takes on a new name: Black Adam.

In the mid-credits scene, Waller warns Adam against leaving Kahandak and sends Superman, who offers to negotiate with him.

Cast and characters

Further information: List of DC Extended Universe cast members and DC Extended Universe characters

Dwayne Johnson as Teth-Adam / Black Adam:

A former slave of Kahndak who was granted the powers of multiple Egyptian gods by his son after being mortally wounded by King Ahok-ton’s soldiers. He possesses “the firmness of Shu, the swiftness of Heru, the strength of Aman, the wisdom of Jehuti, the strength of Aten, and the courage of Mehen.” Benjamin Patterson serves as the body double for Tate-Adam in which he is portrayed in his human form, while Johnson’s face was superimposed on the character for these sequences. Previously appeared in the role of Shazam! (2019) in a brief cameo, during a sequence in which The Wizard teaches Billy Batson about the previous recipients of his powers. Johnson voiced the character in a post-credits cameo, prior to the character’s live-action debut, in the unrelated animated DC film League of Super-Pets (2022), in which he also voices Krypto.

Aldis Hodge as Carter Hall / Hawkman: The leader of the Justice Society who wields technology and weapons made of enth metal, a substance from another planet.

Noah Centinio as Albert “Al” Rothstein / Atom Smasher: A young member of the Justice Society, with the metahuman ability to control his molecular structure which controls his size and strength.

Sarah Shahi as Adriana Tomaz: A university professor and modern-day resistance fighter who proves to be an ally for Adam and the Justice Society.

Marwan Kenzari as Ismail Gregor/Sabbak:

The last descendant of King Ahok-ton and the militant leader of the Kahandak division of the criminal organization Intergang. Unlike Teth-Adam, Sabbak was given the power of the six most powerful demons of Hell: Satan, Iam, Belial, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, and Cratis.

Kenzari also depicts Ishmael’s ancestor Ahok-ton and the ancient tyrant king of Kahndak, who was killed by Adam.

Quintessa Swindle as Maxine Hunkle/Cyclone:

A young member of the Justice Society who experimented and injected nanobot technology at a young age, gaining the ability to control and manipulate the air. As the granddaughter of Abigail “Ma” Hunkle / Red Tornado, she wants to live up to her family’s superhero legacy. Swindell studied dance technique while designing his character’s movements.

Bodhi Sabongui as Amon Tomaz: Adriana’s teenage son, who befriends Adam.

Pierce Brosnan as Kent Nelson/Doctor Fate:

An experienced and senior member of the Justice Society, who uses the Helmet of Fate and possesses various magical powers. Nelson is the son of an archaeologist, with whom he discovered the tomb of Naboo the Wise. After acquiring a mystical-sentient helmet from another dimension, which chooses who to wield it, he mastered its powers and used them as a superhero for many years. Brosnan wore a motion capture suit for the role.

Additionally, Mohamed Amer plays Karim, Adriana’s brother and Aman’s uncle, and James Cusati-Moir plays Samir, a colleague of Adriana and Karim. Jalon appears as Christian Hurut, the son of Adam who becomes Kahndak’s original champion, who is believed to be a pure heart to wield Shazam’s powers, with his superhero form portrayed by Uli Latukefu. Odelia Halevi portrays Shiruta, Adam’s wife who is murdered by Ahok-Ton’s men during a flashback scene in Ancient Kahandak. Henry Winkler plays Al Pratt, Rothstein’s uncle who is a former Atom Smasher.

Djimon Hounsou reprises his role from Shazam! as the wizard Shazam, and Jennifer Holland reprises her role as Emilia Harcourt from The Suicide Squad (2021) and Peacemaker (2022). Viola Davis and Henry Cavill reprise their respective DCEU roles as Amanda Waller and Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman. This was Cavill’s final performance as Superman before it was announced that he would be stepping down from the role.

Satan, Aime, Belial, Beelzebub, Asmodeus and Cratis also appear in the film and are voiced by incredible actors.

Box Office

Black Adam grossed $168.2 million in the United States and Canada and $225.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $393.3 million.

In the United States and Canada, Black Adam was released alongside Ticket to Paradise and The Banshees of Inisharine and was estimated to earn $58–68 million from 4,402 theaters in its opening weekend. The film grossed $26.7 million on its first day, including $7.6 million from Thursday night previews, besting the opening day of Shazam! ($20.4 million). It grossed $67 million in its opening weekend, a career high leading Johnson, while debuting at the box office. It was the fifth-highest opening weekend in October for a film. In its second weekend, the film fell 59% to $27.5 million, taking first place. In its third weekend, the film dropped 33% to $18.3 million. In its fourth weekend, it dropped 56% to $8.1 million, while Black Panther: Wakanda Forever dislodged from first place.

Outside the United States and Canada, Black Adam grossed $75.9 million from 76 countries in its first five days of release. It was the third-highest opening for a Warner Bros. title in Latin America during the Pandemic era. In Malaysia ($2.2 million), Indonesia ($2.9 million), and the Philippines ($1 million), it was the highest opening for a Warner Bros. title during the pandemic. Taiwan ($2 million) is the biggest opening for a Warner Bros. film in 2022 and the second biggest of Johnson’s leading career. In Brazil ($4.9 million), it was the second-biggest opening for a Warner Bros. film during the pandemic, while going on to produce the fifth-biggest opening for a Warner Bros. title in India ($3.5 million). In its second weekend it earned $39 million for a 45% drop, in its third weekend it earned $26.2 million for a 34% drop. It grossed $9.3 million in its fourth weekend, down 63%. In Japan it opened to a $1.2 million weekend.

Several publications described the film as a box office bomb, with The Hollywood Reporter stating that the film “would be lucky to break even considering ancillary revenue.” Estimates vary that it will lose $50-100 million against a break-even point of $600 million. Warner Bros. disputed the claim, saying that the initial break-even cost was $450 million, but that figure had fallen due to increased ancillary revenue streams from home media and lower marketing costs. Deadline Hollywood estimated that the film would ultimately gross $52–72 million due to a small estimated marketing budget of $80–100 million (thanks to Johnson’s social media accounts handling much of the marketing), plus ancillary revenue. A subsequent report by Puck stated that several Warner officials suspected Johnson and his team of leaking an alleged financial sheet to Deadline Hollywood that contained inaccurate figures, including marketing budgets, exaggerated home entertainment revenues and an incorrect interest rate for the film.

About

Directed by	Jaume Collet-Serra
Written by	·         Adam Sztykiel ·         Rory Haines Sohrab Noshirvani
Based on	Characters from DC
Produced by	·         Beau Flynn ·         Hiram Garcia ·         Dwayne Johnson ·         Dany Garcia
Starring	·         Dwayne Johnson ·         Aldis Hodge ·         Noah Centineo ·         Sarah Shahi ·         Marwan Kenzari ·         Quintessa Swindell ·         Pierce Brosnan
Cinematography	Lawrence Sher
Edited by	·         Mike Sale ·         John Lee
Music by	Lorne Balfe
Production companies	·         New Line Cinema ·         DC Films ·         Seven Bucks Productions ·         FlynnPictureCo.
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates	·         October 3, 2022 (Mexico City) ·         October 21, 2022 (United States)
Running time	125 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$190–260 million
Box office	$393 million

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