Black Adam Box Office To Become Dwayne Johnson's Biggest Opening Weekend Ever

By Jamie Lovett - October 22, 2022 01:22 pm EDT

Black Adam is about to become Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's biggest opening weekend as a leading man. The film already became Johnson's biggest opening day ever, earning $25 million on Friday alone. The film's three-day opening total is climbing to more than $60 million, Johnson's strongest start. Black Adam setting a career record for Johnson comes with it carrying a B+ CinemaScore. There's also a clear contrast between critics and audience on the Rotten Tomatoes review aggregation site. Only 41% of critics have reviewed Black Adam positively, amounting to a "rotten" aggregate score. However, 89% of audience members who chose to review the film on the site gave it a positive rating. Black Adam's critics' consensus on the site reads, "Black Adam may end up pointing the way to an exciting future for DC films, but as a standalone experience, it's a wildly uneven letdown."

Similarly, ComicBook.com's Evan Valentine saw Black Adam as a first step in writing the DC Extended Universe's ship. In his 3.5-out-of-5 review of the film, he writes, "Is Black Adam the movie that will singlehandedly bring back the DC Cinematic Universe to stand toe to toe with what Marvel has built? No, but it's certainly laying the groundwork for this to be a possibility down the line. Black Adam is a fun, frenzied, and flawed film that answers the prayers of many while also giving viewers an action-packed thrill ride with plenty of charisma from its key players. (I would also be doing the movie a disservice if I didn't mention the amazing "pop" my screening received during the post-credit scene, which might just rival Captain America picking up Thor's hammer for the biggest reaction ever heard in a theater.) It's a roller coaster ride and, if you walk in with that mindset, you're going to have a good time."

Also at the box office this weekend, George Clooney and Julia Roberts' romantic comedy Ticket to Paradise opens, horror flicks Halloween Ends, Smile, and Terrifier 2 continue to take advantage of the desire for seasonal scares, while Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile and The Woman King hang on their spots on the chart. The list of the top 10 films at the box office this weekend follows.

1. Black Adam

Opening Weekend
Total: $60 million

In ancient Kahndaq, Teth Adam was bestowed the almighty powers of the gods. After using these powers for vengeance, he was imprisoned, becoming Black Adam. Nearly 5,000 years have passed, and Black Adam has gone from man to myth to legend. Now free, his unique form of justice, born out of rage, is challenged by modern-day heroes who form the Justice Society: Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Atom Smasher, and Cyclone.

Jaume Collet-Serra directed Black Adam from a script by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani. It stars Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Quintessa Swindell, Bodhi Sabongui, and Pierce Brosnan.

2. Ticket to Paradise

Opening Weekend
Total: $16 million

A divorced couple teams up and travels to Bali to stop their daughter from making the same mistake they think they made 25 years ago.

Ol Parker directed Ticket to Paradise from a screenplay he co-wrote with Pipski. The movie stars George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Kaitlyn Dever, Billie Lourd, Maxime Bouttier, and Lucas Bravo.

3. Smile

Week Four
Weekend: $8.5 million
Total: $84.5 million

After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.

Parker Finn directed Smile, expanding on his 2020 short film Laura Hasn't Slept. Smile stars Sosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Caitlin Stasey, Kal Penn, and Rob Morgan.

4. Halloween Ends

(Photo:
Michael Myers (aka The Shape) in Halloween Ends, co-written, produced and directed by David Gordon Green.
- Ryan Green/Universal Pictures)

Week Two
Weekend: $8 million
Total: $54.1 million

Four years after her last encounter with masked killer Michael Myers, Laurie Strode is living with her granddaughter and trying to finish her memoir. Myers hasn't been seen since, and Laurie finally decides to liberate herself from rage and fear and embrace life. However, when a young man stands accused of murdering a boy that he was babysitting, it ignites a cascade of violence and terror that forces Laurie to confront the evil she can't control.

David Gordon Green directed Halloween Ends from a screenplay he co-wrote with Danny McBride, Paul Brad Logan, and Chris Bernier. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis, James Jude Courtney, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Rohan Campbell, and Kyle Richards.

5. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile

Week Three
Weekend: $4.4 million
Total: $28.9million

When the Primm family moves to New York City, their young son, Josh, struggles to adapt to his new school and friends. All of that changes when he discovers Lyle, a singing crocodile that loves baths, caviar, and great music. The two become fast friends, but when evil neighbor Mr. Grumps threatens Lyle's existence, the Primms must band together to show the world that family can come from the most unexpected places.

Will Speck and Josh Gordon directed Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile from a screenplay by William Davies, based on the children's books Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile and The House on East 88th Street by Bernard Waber. It stars Shawn Mendes, Javier Bardem, Constance Wu, Winslow Fegley, Scoot McNairy, and Brett Gelman.

6. Terrifier 2

Week Two
Weekend: 2.1 million
Total: $5.4 million

Resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to Miles County to terrorize a teenage girl and her younger brother on Halloween night.

Damien Leone directs Terrifier 2. It stars David Howard Thornton, Samantha Scaffidi, Lauren LaVera, Elliot Fullam, Sarah Voigt, Kailey Hyman, and Casey Harnett.

7. The Woman King

Week Six
Weekend: $1.88 million
Total: $62.8 million

In the 1800s, a group of all-female warriors protects the African kingdom of Dahomey with skills and fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. Faced with a new threat, Gen. Nanisca trains the next generation of recruits to fight against a foreign enemy that's determined to destroy their way of life.

Gina Prince-Bythewood directed The Woman King from a screenplay by Dana Stevens, based on a story she wrote with Maria Bello. The film stars Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, and John Boyega.

8. Don't Worry Darling

olivia-wilde-florence-pugh-fight-screaming-dont-worry-darling-set-filming.jpg — (Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures)

Week Five
Weekend: $895,000
Total: $44.2 million

In the 1950s, Alice and Jack live in the idealized community of Victory, an experimental company town that houses the men who work on a top-secret project. While the husbands toil away, the wives get to enjoy the beauty, luxury and debauchery of their seemingly perfect paradise. However, when cracks in her idyllic life begin to appear, exposing flashes of something sinister lurking below the surface, Alice can't help but question exactly what she's doing in Victory.

Olivia Wilde directed Don't Worry Darling from a screenplay by Katie Silberman. The film stars Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Wilde, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll, and Chris Pine.

9. Amsterdam

Week Three
Weekend: $807,000
Total: $13.9 million

Set in the '30s, it follows three friends who witness a murder, become suspects themselves, and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history.

David O. Russell directed Amsterdam. The film's ensemble cast includes Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Zoe Saldaña, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Timothy Olyphant, Andrea Riseborough, Taylor Swift, Matthias Schoenaerts, Alessandro Nivola, Rami Malek, and Robert De Niro.

10. Triangle of Sadness

Week Three
Weekend: $645,000
Total: $13.9 million

A cruise for the super-rich sinks, leaving survivors, including a fashion model celebrity couple, trapped on an island.

Ruben Östlund wrote and directed Triangle of Sadness. The film stars Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Dolly de Leon, Zlatko Burić, Henrik Dorsin, Vicki Berlin, and Woody Harrelson.