Black Adam

Source: Warner Bros

‘Black Adam’

Dwayne Johnson superhero tale Black Adam earned an estimated $7.6m in Thursday previews in North America heading into what is expected to be an opening weekend in the $60m region.

The New Line-Warner Bros-DC Entertainment adaptation heralds the return of tentpoles for the first time since the summer and played in more than 3,500 locations on Thursday (October 20). It expands into more than 4,350 venues this weekend.

This is a first superhero outing for Johnson, whose F9: The Fast Saga grossed $7.1m in Thursday previews in June and opened on $70m on the way to a $173m gross in North America. Hobbs & Shaw earned $5.8m in previews in 2019 and opened to $60m en route to a $174m final tally.

Black Adam follows a man imprisoned 5,000 years ago after he was given powers by the Egyptian gods. When he is finally freed he sets about delivering his own form of justice.

The cast includes Pierce Brosnan, Aldis Hodge, Sarah Shahi, Noah Centineo, and Qunitessa Swindell. Jaume Collet-Serra, who worked with Johnson on Jungle Cruise, directed.

Also opening this weekend is the Universal-Working Title rom-com Ticket To Paradise starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts as a divorced couple who rekindle their romance when they agree to fly to their daughter’s destination wedding in a bid to stop her getting married.

The rom-com plays in 3,543 venues in North America and has amassed more than $70m internationally.