Starring Dwayne Johnson as the titular character, Black Adam officially released worldwide on October 21st to a mixed response. Marking the WWE legend’s first foray into the world of DC Comics, it acts as a spin-off to the 2019 release Shazam!, which was due to see Johnson’s Black Adam character introduced before he lobbied for the character to have his own film.
The film has seen critics praise Dwayne Johnson‘s role, though other aspects of the film haven’t been quite as appreciated. Nonetheless, the film is expected to bring in $60+ million domestically and $70+ million internationally, making this the biggest debut weekend box office debut for a film starring Dwayne Johnson in the lead role.
It marks a huge success for DC Comics, too, with this reportedly being the franchise’s biggest non-Batman launch weekend. Talk behind the scenes is that this will help bring momentum back to DC, with the new management regime at Warner Bros. Discovery keen to see the franchise succeed.
Dwayne Johnson – WWE Superstar-Turned-Movie Star
First rising to success as an eight-time WWE Champion, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson made his theatrical debut in 2001’s The Mummy Returns, having previously played himself in the acclaimed documentary Beyond The Mat. Johnson reprised his role as Mathayus of Akkad in The Scorpion King two years later, which marked his lead role debut.
On the big screen, ‘The Brahma Bull’ is best known for his portrayal of Luke Hobbs in The Fast and The Furious franchise. First playing the role in Fast Five, he helped launch the franchise into mass popularity, with it now standing as one of the top-grossing movie series in history. He last played Hobbs in the 2019 spinoff Hobbs & Shaw.
As well as providing his services as an actor, Dwayne Johnson is also credited in a number of producing roles. He first co-produced Journey 2: The Mysterious Island in 2012, and has since both produced and executively produced a range of projects, including Black Adam.