Nolte: DC Sequel to Box Office Failure ‘Black Adam’ Is Not Happening

Dwayne Johnson released a statement Tuesday admitting there will be no sequel to his DC superhero feature Black Adam.

“James Gunn and I connected, and Black Adam will not be in their first chapter of storytelling,” Johnson wrote on his verified Twitter account. “However, DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters.”

Gunn, who is now running the DC Studio with Peter Safran, responded with: “Love @TheRock & I’m always excited to see what he & Seven Bucks do next. Can’t wait to collaborate soon.”

Spin it however you want; Black Adam failed, and badly. Allow me to count the ways…

• Black Adam is a superhero movie.
• Black Adam is a superhero movie released into an environment without a whole lot of competition.
• Black Adam is a longtime passion project for Dwayne Johnson, a well-liked star whose movies usually make money.
• Black Adam was an obvious attempt to capture some of that sweet Black Panther box office.

The result? Not good. Not good at all  — $167.7 million domestic and $391 million worldwide.

You’re talking about a movie with a $190 to $260 million production budget. Add another $50 to $100 million for promotion.  You’re now talking about a loss that could reach $100 million.

Black Adam was not a flop, not in the truest sense. A lot of people did go to see it. But it is a failure in the sense it was not popular enough to make a profit.

Methinks Dwayne Johnson believed Black Adam would perform like Black Panther, and he would be seen as DC’s savior, and then he would be allowed to call some major shots. DC desperately needs a savior, and Johnson probably saw a future where the DC universe would circle Black Adam in the same way the Marvel universe circled Iron Man for a decade. That’s why we were told Henry Cavill would return as Superman. Johnson set that up in Black Adam. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m not criticizing Johnson’s ambition. More power to him. He made a play. The play failed. Unfortunately, poor Cavill got humiliated in the process.

Well, now James “The Snowflake” Gunn is in charge of DC, and he’s cleaning house. Cavill as Superman is out! Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman is out! Patty Jenkins directing Wonder Woman 3 is out! Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam is out! The only thing we know that’s “in” is another freaken Superman origin story, which Gunn is writing.

DC’s problem might be existential, something above and beyond its lousy product. I’m talking about superhero fatigue. Black Adam tanking the way it did might be remembered as a bellwether. The fact it could not pass $200 million domestic, which it should have without breaking a sweat, is pretty amazing.

We’ll see how Shazam 2, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, the Flash, The Marvels, and Aquaman 2 perform next year.

Gee, can’t wait. 

Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.