Black Adam (film)

Black Adam
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJaume Collet-Serra
Written by
Based onCharacters
from DC
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyLawrence Sher
Edited by
  • Mike Sale
  • John Lee
Music byLorne Balfe
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release dates
  • October 3, 2022 (2022-10-03) (Mexico City)
  • October 21, 2022 (2022-10-21) (United States)
Running time
125 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$190–260 million
Box office$393.5 million

Black Adam is a 2022 American superhero film starring Dwayne Johnson as the titular character. Based on the DC character Teth-Adam / Black Adam, the film is a spin-off from Shazam! (2019) and the eleventh film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra from a screenplay by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani, the film follows Teth-Adam / Black Adam, an ancient superhuman who is released from his magic imprisonment by a group of archeologists to free the nation of Kahndaq from the crime syndicate Intergang, whose local leader plans to obtain an ancient relic called the Crown of Sabbac to take control of it. Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Quintessa Swindell, Marwan Kenzari and Pierce Brosnan appear in supporting roles.

Johnson was attached to Shazam! early in development and confirmed to portray the villain Black Adam in September 2014, but the producers, at Johnson's urging, later decided to give the character his own film. Sztykiel was hired in October 2017. Collet-Serra joined in June 2019 with a planned release date of December 2021, but this timeline was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional casting took place over the next year, including four members of the Justice Society of America, along with the script being rewritten by Haines and Noshirvani. Principal photography took place from April to August 2021 at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, and also in Los Angeles.

Black Adam premiered in Mexico City on October 3, 2022, and was theatrically released in the United States on October 21. It was not well-received by critics and failed to break-even at the box office, grossing $393 million worldwide gross against a budget of $190–$260 million.