In a stunning display of box office prowess, James Gunn’s Superman has recently soared past the total domestic earnings of Black Adam. Released in 2022, Black Adam aimed to revive the struggling DCEU by leveraging Dwayne Johnson’s star power and hinting at a major showdown with Henry Cavill’s Superman. In contrast, Superman resets the DCEU into a fresh DC Universe, driven by Gunn and his producing partner, Peter Safran.
According to Box Office Mojo, Black Adam completed its theatrical run with a domestic total of $168.2 million and an international tally of $225.3 million, yielding a global gross of $393.5 million. Meanwhile, Superman has reached $337.2 million worldwide, breaking down into $194.4 million domestically and $142.8 million internationally. Having already surpassed Black Adam at the domestic box office, Superman is poised to exceed its total gross within the week.
What Superman Passing Black Adam’s Domestic Box Office Means For The DCU
Despite its impressive $393.5 million total, Black Adam was labeled a box office flop due to its hefty production budget, which ranged between $195 and $260 million, plus an additional $80 million spent on marketing. A film generally needs to gross at least double its budget to break even, placing Black Adam in a precarious financial position.
On the other hand, Superman has a reported budget of $225 million with marketing costs likely reaching or exceeding $125 million. This sets up a challenging path to profitability, requiring sales to hold strong to meet the estimated $450 million needed to recoup all expenses. With the impending release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps next week, Superman may face declining returns. However, it has shown resilience against Jurassic World: Rebirth. Positive word-of-mouth and repeat viewers could keep the momentum going.
Our Take On Superman Passing Black Adam’s Domestic Box Office
Currently, Superman has surpassed the total grosses of Shazam!, The Flash, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984, The Suicide Squad, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and Blue Beetle. To put it into perspective, Superman is eclipsing many of the DCEU’s poorly performing films in just two weeks.
While it may not yet be a definitive success, Superman is steadily climbing the box office ladder, albeit with an ironic twist. Whereas Black Adam aimed to salvage the DCEU, Superman is cleansing the slate for a new beginning. The evolution of its box office performance will be fascinating to observe as the landscape of superhero cinema continues to shift.