The lightning‘s opening weekend box office projections are close Black Adam numbers, which is worrying for the upcoming DC movie. The lightning is one of DC’s biggest projects in years in terms of scale, as it not only sees Barry Allen, but also other famous DC superheroes. In addition to Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen, The lightning features Ben Affleck’s Batman, Michael Keaton’s Batman, Michael Shannon’s General Zod and the debut of Sasha Calle’s Supergirl. The lightning‘s budget is reportedly around $200 million.
Now, Variety reports it The lightning is looking for a $70 million domestic opening weekend, which would bring it close Black Adam‘s $68 million opening. The Dwayne Johnson-led film promised the beginning of a new DC universe, but failed to get a sequel after ending its theatrical run with a box office total of $393 million. If The lightning opening around $70 million, it will have to have strong legs to avoid one Black Adam situation.
Why The Flash Still Outperforms Black Adam’s Opening Reception
The biggest difference between The lightning and Black Adam is that the former has so far premiered to much better reviews than the latter. The lightning was first shown at CinemaCon 2023, nearly two months before the film’s release date. Likewise, several are advanced The lightning screenings were held in the weeks leading up to the film’s premiere. As a result, The lightning‘s early reactions have helped create an initial positive word-of-mouth reception for the film.
The lightning currently has a score of 69% on Rotten Tomatoes, whereas Black Adam has a score of 38%. The lightning‘s mixed to positive reviews means that DC’s multiverse epic may have stronger legs than Black Adam, which would help avoid a checkout error. That said, with a reported budget of at least $200 million, The lightning must earn at least $450 million to break even.
The lightning ends its box office run with Black Adam numbers would be bad news for DC. A much better figure for The lightning would be somewhat closer Batman‘s box office, which grossed $770 million globally after a $128.5 domestic opening weekend. With The lightning now opening worldwide, audience reception will dictate how DC’s big summer movie will perform.
Source: Variety