“Black Adam” Is Again The Most Popular Movie At The Box Office

The second weekend of release for “Black Adam,” starring Dwayne Johnson as the DC superhero, was just as successful as the first. Despite a 59% drop in ticket sales from its opening weekend and little new competition, “Black Adam” collected $27.7 million at the box office on Sunday, bringing its domestic total to an estimated $111.1 million.

Johnson has been working on adapting the character for ten years and has plans for future Superman films. Despite having made $250 million globally, “Black Adam’s” fate has not yet been decided. Warner Bros.’ film cost an estimated $200 million to produce, not counting the expense of advertising, and a sequel has not been approved.

However, DC has unveiled a new leadership team consisting of Peter Safran and James Gunn, who are well-known for their penchant for bringing attention to underappreciated comic book characters. On Sunday, Johnson thanked the people behind the scenes who helped launch “our NEW DC FRANCHISE known as BLACK ADAM” by posting a message to his 344 million Instagram followers on the conclusion of his globe press tour.

Despite the current disinterest in romantic comedies, “Ticket to Paradise,” Universal’s destination romp starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney, only dropped 37% in its second weekend, placing it in second place. While recent entries in the genre, such as “Bros,” have faltered at the box office, the combined star power of Roberts and Clooney is proving too much for audiences to pass up. There were 3,692 theaters showing “Ticket to Paradise,” which contributed $10 million to the film’s domestic gross, bringing the grand total to $33.7 million. It has made $119.4 million over the world.

Meanwhile, horror films dominated the top five rankings throughout the weekend leading up to Halloween. Third place went to Lionsgate’s “Prey for the Devil,” which debuted in 2,980 theaters and made $7 million. Of the three horror movies, this is the only one with a PG-13 classification. All of the others had explicit content.

The sixth weekend of “Smile” at Paramount’s domestic box office brought in $5.1 million, putting the film in fourth position, while “Halloween Ends” debuted in fifth place with $3.8 million in its third frame. Peacock, NBC Universal’s streaming service, premiered “Ends” at the same time it was released in theaters, helping to contribute to the film’s $60.3 million North American total.

The Mamie Till-Mobley film “Till,” directed by Chinonye Chukwu, expanded to 2,058 theaters this weekend and earned $2.8 million to rank seventh. The United Artists Releasing picture has received positive word of mouth, with most of the praise being directed on Danielle Deadwyler’s performance. The film now has a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Several significant films expanded this weekend, including “Tár” (directed by Todd Field), which opened in 1,087 theaters worldwide, made $1 million, and ranked 10th. The Venice Film Festival awarded acting honors to Cate Blanchett last month for her portrayal of a famous composer and conductor.

An other Venice winner, “The Banshees of Inisherin,” expanded to 58 cinemas and 12 new markets this past weekend. Making $540,000 was the Martin McDonagh film starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. There will be a nationwide rollout of the Searchlight Pictures film the following weekend, hitting around 800 theaters.

Grossing an additional $75,242 in 17 theaters, “Aftersun” by Charlotte Wells brought in a total of $166,030. The popularity of the A24 father-daughter picture starring Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio will increase even more as the awards season progresses.