Weekend Box Office: Black Adam Flies to $67M Domestic, $140M Worldwide Debut

Black Adam

Warner Bros. DC Comics adaptation Black Adam, starring Dwayne Johnson, looks poised to finish in the black with a $67.0M opening. That was on the higher end of pre-release projections, which were in the $60M-$65M range.

Compared to comparable DC Comics film adaptations, that’s:

• +25% above 2019’s Shazam! ($53.5M)
• -1% below 2018’s Aquaman ($67.8M)

Compared to other comparable titles starring Johnson, it’s also:

• +11% above 2019’s Hobbs & Shaw ($60.0M)
• +13% above 2019’s Jumanji: The Next Level ($59.2M)
• +22% above 2015’s San Andreas ($54.5M)
• +18% above 2016’s Moana ($56.6M), to the extent that the animated title is a valid comparison

Compared to some comparable superhero titles from rival Marvel Studios, it’s:

• -11% below 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ($75.3M)
• -6% below 2021’s Eternals ($71.2M)

Adam also marks the #5 October weekend of all time, behind only:

1. 2019’s Joker ($96.2M)
2. 2021’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage ($90.0M)
3. 2018’s Venom ($80.2M)
4. 2018’s Halloween ($76.2M)

Adam earned a “B+” CinemaScore. Premium formats comprised 33% of its earnings. 

Overseas, it debuted with $73.0M in 77 markets, for a $140.0M global opening. Top markets include:

1. U.K. ($6.1M)
2. Mexico ($5.3M)
3. Brazil ($4.9M)
4. Australia ($4.7M)
5. France ($3.7M)
6. India ($3.4M)
7. South Korea ($3.1M)
8. Indonesia ($2.9M)
9. Germany ($2.8M)
10. U.A.E. ($2.3M)

Ticket to Paradise

Universal’s romantic comedy Ticket to Paradise, starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney, began with $16.3M. That’s slightly above pre-release projections, which were around $12M-$14M.

That’s about in line with some other prominent romantic comedies of the past decade, including:

• -10% behind 2019’s What Men Want ($18.2M)
• -8% behind 2016’s How to Be Single ($17.8M)
• +11% above 2012’s Hope Springs ($14.6M)
• +14% above 2019’s Isn’t It Romantic ($14.2M)
• +14% above 2014’s Blended ($14.2M)

Although it’s hardly a genre analogue, Paradise also opened +10% above Clooney’s and Roberts’ 2016 thriller Money Monster ($14.7M).

Clooney in particular has specialized in these sorts of adult-focused mid-budget films, usually only making one or two big-budget attempted blockbusters per decade. (His only two in the past decade which would likely qualify are 2013’s Gravity and 2015’s Tomorrowland.) Paradise opened in a similar range as:

• 2016’s Money Monster ($14.7M)
• 2016’s Hail, Caesar! ($11.3M)
• 2011’s The Ides of March ($10.4M)
• 2010’s The American ($13.1M)
• 2009’s Up in the Air ($11.2M)
• 2009’s The Men Who Stare at Goats ($12.7M)
• 2008’s Leatherheads ($12.6M)
• 2007’s Michael Clayton ($10.3M)
• 2005’s Syriana ($11.7M)

Paradise earned an “A-” CinemaScore, and 64% of its audience was ages 35+.

After rolling out overseas for several weeks now, it stands at a $80.2M overseas total from 78 markets, for a $96.6M global total. Top overseas markets include:

1. Australia ($9.8M)
2. Germany ($9.4M)
3. U.K. ($9.4M)
4. Netherlands ($3.1M)
5. Switzerland ($2.6M)
6. Mexico ($2.3M)
7. France ($2.1M)
8. Italy ($1.9M)
9. Israel ($1.4M)
10. Belgium ($1.0M)

Smile

After Paramount’s horror Smile opened atop the box office with $22.6M, on the higher end of pre-release projections, it then fell only -18% to repeat in first place with $18.5M.

That marked the mildest sophomore weekend drop of any major wide-release film of 2022 so far, horror or otherwise.

In its third weekend, it fell only -32% to $12.5M and second place, behind fellow horror release Halloween Ends. Yet the strong word of mouth for Smile, coupled with the mixed-to-poor word of mouth for Ends, have now reversed their fates and put Smile into the lead once again.

Some context here. Last weekend, Smile came in -68% below Ends ($12.5M vs. $40.0M). But for the subsequent weekday daily grosses, Smile had narrowed the gap with Ends to -32% by Monday, -36% on Tuesday, -15% on Wednesday, and actually exceeded Ends by +4% on Thursday.

Now in its fourth frame, with Halloween right around the corner, Smile reclaims the title as the weekend’s top horror film with $8.3M, in third place overall.

Through 24 days, Smile has now earned a $84.3M domestic total. That’s:

• +16% ahead of June’s The Black Phone ($72.1M), despite opening -4% behind ($23.6M)
• +22% ahead of January’s Scream ($68.9M), despite opening -24% behind ($30.0M)
• +47% ahead of 2021’s The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It ($57.1M), despite opening -6% behind ($24.1M)

Smile has now earned $81.9M overseas in 61 markets, for a $166.2M global total. Top overseas market totals include:

1. U.K. ($10.0M)
2. Germany ($8.3M)
3. Mexico ($7.2M)
4. France ($5.7M)
5. Australia ($4.2M)
6. Spain ($4.1M)
7. Brazil ($2.9M)
8. Norway ($1.8M)
9. Netherlands ($1.8M)
10. U.A.E. ($1.6M)

Halloween Ends

Universal’s horror sequel Halloween Ends debuted last weekend with $40.0M in first place, with a simultaneous day-and-date release in cinemas and on Peacock. That was below pre-release projections, which were around the $45M-$50M range.

This weekend, it drops a steep -80% to $8.0M and fourth place.

That’s one of the largest sophomore weekend drops of all time, for any film, whether horror or otherwise. Among films playing in 600+ theaters, the generally-accepted threshold for a wide release, it’s the #16 steepest percentage drop ever.

Among films playing in 1,000+ theaters, though, it’s the #7 steepest percentage drop ever. That’s behind only:

1. 2017’s Collide (-88.5%)
2. 2016’s Jane Got a Gun (83.5%)
3. 2003’s Gigli (-81.9%)
4. 2019’s Replicas (-81.5%)
5. 1991’s Return to the Blue Lagoon (-80.8%)
6. 2009’s Friday the 13th (-80.4%)

And among films playing in 2,500 theaters, it’s actually the single steepest sophomore weekend drop of all time. (Ends is currently playing in 3,901 theaters.)

Compared to other recent prominent horror titles, that sophomore drop is also much steeper than:

• 2021 prior installment Halloween Kills (-71%), which also debuted day-and-date simultaneously in cinemas and on streaming
• 2018’s Halloween (-59%), which debuted with theatrical exclusivity
• This year’s biggest horror movie, July’s Nope (-58%)
• Last year’s biggest horror movie, 2021’s A Quiet Place Part II (-59%)

Overseas, Ends has earned $27.8M in 75 markets, for a $82.0M global total. Top overseas markets for Ends include:

1. U.K. ($4.0M)
2. Mexico ($4.0M)
3. Germany ($2.6M)
4. France ($1.9M)
5. Australia ($1.4M)
6. Italy ($1.2M)
7. Brazil ($1.1M)
8. Spain ($1.1M)

Terrifier 2

Two weekends ago, Cinedigm Entertainment Group’s and Bloody Disgusting’s under-the-radar horror film Terrifier 2 debuted with $805K.

Then in its second frame it actually improved +28%, despite falling from 886 to 700 theaters, earning a surprise top-10 finish in eighth place.

Now in its third frame, the film actually improves yet again by +84% to $1.8M, rising one spot to seventh place.

Specialty box office

• Searchlight Pictures’ The Banshees of Inisherin opens in four theaters, earning $181K for a $45,250 per-theater average. That’s the #2 average of the year so far, behind only March’s Everything Everywhere All at Once ($50,131).
• Focus Features’ TÁR, starring Cate Blanchett, expands from 36 theaters to 141 in its third frame, earning $470K and a $3,333 average.
• United Artists Releasing’s and MGM’s historical drama Till expands from 16 to 104 theaters in its second frame, earning $376K and a $3,617 average. It expands to a projected 2,000+ theaters next weekend.
• Neon’s Triangle of Sadness, which won the Cannes Film Festival’s top prize called the Palme d’Or, expands from 31 to 280 theaters in its third frame, earning $600K for a $2,143 average.
• MUBI’s Decision to Leave, which won Park Chan-wook Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival, expands from three to 48 theaters in its second frame, earning $296K for a $6,176 average.

Weekend comparisons

Total box office this weekend came in around $113.0M, which is:

• +48% above last weekend’s total ($76.2M), when Halloween Ends led with $40.0M.
• +3% above the equivalent weekend in 2021 ($109.2M), when Halloween Kills opened with $49.4M.
• -17% below the equivalent weekend in the last pre-pandemic year 2019 ($137.7M), when Maleficent: Mistress of Evil led with $36.9M.

This weekend also marks the first $100M+ overall weekend in 13 frames, since July 22-24 (with $126.2M), when Nope opened with $44.3M.

YTD comparisons

Year-to-date box office stands around $5.99B. That’s:

• 2.06x this same point in the pandemic recovery year of 2021 ($2.90B), down from 2.11x after last weekend.
• -33.7% behind this same point in 2019, the last pre-pandemic year ($9.04B), up from -33.8% last weekend. The peak was around -29.5%, set in mid-July.

Top distributors

1. Universal ($1.35B)
2. Paramount ($1.26B)
3. Disney ($880.9M)
4. Warner Bros. ($831.8M)
5. Sony Pictures ($807.2M)

Sunday’s Studio Weekend Estimates: