Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: DC Movies

  • ‘Black Adam’ Cinemascore Revealed

    ‘Black Adam’ Cinemascore Revealed

    If you haven’t heard, the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe is about to change. Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam finally hit theaters after 15 years in development and while its reaction with critics has been mixed, that doesn’t seem to be the case with fans. Following its Thursday and Friday night showings, the superhero film is boasting some pretty impressive fan metrics.

    Cinemascore, which polls movie audiences following their opening night experiences, has reported a B+ score for Black Adam while Rotten Tomatoes audience score is at an 89%, which is a stark contrast to the “rotten” 42% critics’ score. While we wait for Friday’s official box office numbers to come in (the film made $7.6M during its Thursday night preview screenings), it’s clear that audiences are enjoying the action-packed film.

    The B+ Cinemascore for Black Adam is very much in line with the last two theatrical releases for Warner Bros. DC films. Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which opened in March of 2022, was given an A- Cinemascore by moviegoers and James Gunn’s 2021 The Suicide Squad received the same B+ Cinemascore as Black Adam. Fans who enjoyed the direction of those projects have quite a bit to look forward to as a Black Adam sequel is expected to happen fairly quickly, Reeves is developing a whole universe of Gotham-based projects and Gunn has at least one new DC trick up his sleeve.

    Read our full review of Black Adam here.

  • Thursday Previews Box Office for ‘Black Adam’ Hint at a Disappointing Opening Weekend

    Thursday Previews Box Office for ‘Black Adam’ Hint at a Disappointing Opening Weekend

    Black Adam’s projected opening weekend domestic box office numbers continue along a disappointing downward trend. Dwayne Johnson’s anti-hero film, which has been in development for 15 years, was originally predicted to pull in $65M+ with some estimates as high as $75-80M. Now, after the numbers from the Thursday previews have arrived, it looks like it would take a pretty serious course correction to get to $60M.

    Gitesh Pandya of Box Office Guru shared the official box office take from Thursday’s showings which came in just under $8M.

    As Pandya points out, the Tom Hardy-led Venom films took in $10M and $11.6M, respectively, ahead of $80M and $90M opening weekends. DC’s last theatrical release, The Batman, opened to $134M when it opened in March of 2022.

    As of now, it looks like Black Adam’s box office has fallen victim to mixed reviews from the initial wave or critics who screened the film ahead of its wide release. Given Johnson’s star power and the less-than-secret return of Henry Cavill as Superman in a post-credit scene, it’s likely that DC Films was hoping the film would open between $80-100M. With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever set to follow Black Adam into theaters in just three weeks, it’s unlikely the latter will have legs making the first two weekends more significant than normal.

  • SPOILERS: Dwayne Johnson Discusses a Major DC Cameo in ‘Black Adam’

    SPOILERS: Dwayne Johnson Discusses a Major DC Cameo in ‘Black Adam’

    If you somehow haven’t heard just yet (that’d be pretty impressive because Dwayne Johnson’s been shouting it from the rooftops every chance he’s had), turn back now and give yourself a chance to be surprised.

    While post-credit scenes have come to be known as a Marvel Studios tradition, they certainly didn’t invent them and no matter what studio uses them, they often serve as less of a promise and more a tease of potential future ideas. To that end, Johnson and the leadership of Seven Bucks Productions have given DC fans an epic tease that, for the time being, comes without a promise as DC Films looks for new leadership. After years away from the role, Henry Cavill returns to the DC Universe as Superman in Black Adam.

    How The Rock Got His Supes Back

    While the future for Cavill’s Kal-El is just starting to unfold, his return has proven exciting for fans and Johnson took the time to explain how it came about while talking with ComicBook.com:

    Well, I’ve known Henry for a long time. We’re buddies. My longtime business partner, Dany Garcia, she has been a big advocate for Henry. She’s managed Henry’s career over the years. It came down to, dude, we love Superman. There is new leadership about to happen in Warner Brothers. Here’s an opportunity. On our end of Black Adam, we will do everything we can to pay homage and respect to the mythology of Black Adam and build him as being the most powerful and unstoppable force on this planet. And if we do our job right, at the end of the movie, then in comes not only the most powerful and unstoppable force in the entire universe in Superman, but also the one that the fans want.

    Dwayne Johnson

    Even in the world of superhero films, it turns out it’s who you know. Johnson continued to discuss Cavill’s return and the part that fans of the DC Universe had in making it happen.

    And that’s the difference. And that’s the new era I’m talking about. This new era in the DC universe is we listen, man. We listen to the fans. We may not be able to do every single thing that they want, but they’re going to know that they’re not ignored because they’ve been ignored for so long. But we’re going to listen to them, man.

    Dwayen Johnson

    Of course just having Johnson and the fans willing to make it happen would have meant nothing had Cavill not wanted to return as the Big Blue Boy Scout. Thankfully he did, because according to Johnson, there’s nobody better for the role.

    So in presenting that to Henry, he also… Man, when it comes to Superman, I don’t know if there’s any other person on the planet who loves and embodies the mythology, the ethos, and everything of Superman than Henry. And so I’m so happy that it all came together. I’m so happy the fans are losing their minds over it. And I’m so happy that there is a new shift in this DC universe. And Superman is back.

    Dwayne Johnson

    What’s Next for Superman and Black Adam

    The post-credit scene simply introduces the two characters to one another and while tensions seem high, there’s no battle of the titans. According to Black Adam producer Hiram Garcia, that’s all the production team ever hoped to accomplish, leaving plenty of room to develop “great stories” coming out of the meeting.

    What we really want to establish is that Superman exists in the same world as Black Adam. Both those guys exist in the same universe and that’s important for us. It’s in the universe where our JSA is and so forth, but we really wanted the world to know that these guys are going to cross paths. How we do it we’re still working on it, we don’t want to give that away, I will say that it’s much bigger than what people think. We want to do long-form storytelling, we’re not looking for a quick one-off or something like that. These guys exist in the same universe and there’s a lot of fun to be had when you have basically the two most powerful beings in the universe on opposite sides, but also have some very interesting similarities to them. For us there’s a lot of opportunities to tell some great stories around (that).

    Hiram Garcia

    As the film’s first weekend unfolds, it’ll be worth tracking how fans across the world respond to Cavill’s return. The actor has had a lengthy break from the role and recent rumors had him being courted by Marvel Studios for a major role in their DC Universe. However, now that he’s back, a Man of Steel sequel is in development and a Black Adam sequel isn’t too far off, there might be plenty of chances to see Superman and Teth-Adam duke it out in the near future.

    Source: ComicBook.com

  • Turnaround to the ‘Black Adam’ Sequel “Will Be Fast”

    Turnaround to the ‘Black Adam’ Sequel “Will Be Fast”

    Black Adam hasn’t even fully opened in theaters across North America yet, but two of the DC Comics’ film’s producers already have their sights set on getting the sequel in theaters. Hiram Garcia, President of Production of Seven Bucks Productions, and Beau Flynn, who has worked as a producer on Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson’s films dating back to 2012’s Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, are ready to get to work on a follow-up.

    Speaking to Comic Book about the timeline for a potential sequel, Garcia said, “It’s not going to take that long. I can promise you that. We always hope the first domino’s the easy one. We’ll get cooking on it fast, that’s for sure.” As is often the case, it’s possible that plenty of ideas were tossed around for a sequel during development and production on the first film. Johnson is keen on seeing his character square off with Henry Cavill’s Superman, so keen in fact that he chose to spoil the character’s post-credit scene appearance a week before the film premiered.

    Whether the script features Superman, Shazam or something else entirely, Flynn backed up Garcia’s promise. “Don’t worry. This one will be fast,” said Flynn. “We will open up the magic wagon, we’ll have the script ready, pretty fast,” added the producer. Of course, a script doesn’t necessarily mean the film will be given the green light by Warner Bros. The company is still searching for a new figure atop DC Films following the exit of Walter Hamada and the projected box office for Black Adam slipped a bit this past week following a mixed reaction in its initial wave of reviews. However, with Johnson leading the charge to make Black Adam a key character in the future of the DC Universe, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be denied a sequel.

    Black Adam is now in theaters.

    Source: ComicBook.com

  • New ‘Superman’ Project in Development at Warner Bros.

    New ‘Superman’ Project in Development at Warner Bros.

    Spoiler Note: There is a spoiler in the below article regarding Black Adam. The spoiler has been online for about a week now, but for those avoiding spoilers, please stop reading now.

    Along with the news that James Gunn is developing two more potential DC films, and Matt Reeves is seeking to expand upon his Batman universe, comes the news that Warner Bros. Discovery is finally ready to bring back the Man of Steel. The Hollywood Reporter has claimed that the studio is keen to get a new Superman project underway.

    While Walter Hamada was developing a new Superman project alongside writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, that project seems to be no more. Instead, Warner Bros. Discovery looks to be bringing back Henry Cavill in the role following a power play by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The Black Adam actor is said to have approached Hamada about bringing Cavill back, much to Hamada’s dismay. After Hamada rejected the idea, Johnson reportedly went over his head and went to Warner Bros. Pictures heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, who gave him the approval to bring Cavill’s Superman back. The actor, of course, will appear in an end credits scene of Black Adam. (This was revealed by Johnson himself publicly.) But now, it seems he’ll also be headlining his own project again soon.

    Interestingly, THR also noted that the studio was eyeing Christopher McQuarrie, but he’s currently busy with Mission: Impossible. With Gunn said to be developing two mystery DC projects, it’s possible Superman is one of the films he’s looking to direct.

    Source: THR.

  • Matt Reeves Developing Multiple Projects Based on Batman’s Villains

    Matt Reeves Developing Multiple Projects Based on Batman’s Villains

    Along with developing a sequel to the critically acclaimed The Batman, Matt Reeves is looking to expand his DC universe. The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that, along with the previously announced Penguin spinoff, Reeves is currently meeting with writers and directors to build out movies focused on Batman’s rogue’s gallery. It is of note, that the outlet suggests the projects will focus on both established and obscure villains, including characters ranging from Scarecrow to Professor Pyg.

    All of these projects are said to be in the very early stages of development, but Reeves is keen to build out movies on these characters. Like with The Penguin, Reeves will be involved to an extent, but his main focus is The Batman 2.

    Updating…

    Source: THR.

  • James Gunn is in Talks for At Least One More DC Movie

    James Gunn is in Talks for At Least One More DC Movie

    Following the success of The Suicide Squad and its television spinoff, Peacemaker, director James Gunn looks ready to get back to work on another DC project. The Hollywood Reporter had exclusively revealed that Gunn is currently in talks, alongside producer Peter Safran, on a mystery DC movie that Gunn would tackle. The outlet notes, however, that Gunn might actually be developing two different projects with Warner Bros. Discovery and DC.

    Gunn will, of course, prioritize the second season of Peacemaker first and foremost. However, with the studio seeming to be keen on developing a Superman project, that could always be a possibility for Gunn. Per THR, Mission: Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie was initially on the studio’s wishlist for a Superman film, but with McQuarrie being incredibly busy with the next two installments of that franchise, it leaves the character and the project wide open.

    Whatever project — or projects — Gunn is working on remains to be seen, but the director seems eager to stay within the DC universe.

    Updating….

    Source: THR.

  • ‘Black Adam’ Writers on Bringing Lesser-Known DC Characters to the Big Screen

    ‘Black Adam’ Writers on Bringing Lesser-Known DC Characters to the Big Screen

    After being attached to the role for over a decade, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is finally set to debut as Black Adam in the character’s solo film later this month. The film will serve as an introduction to lesser-known characters like Doctor Fate, Cyclone, Atom Smasher and Hawkman. For the film’s writers, Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani, it didn’t matter whether or not these characters were well known – they simply wanted to introduce “great” characters on screen.

    While walking the film’s red carpet on Wednesday, Haines explained that introducing these characters was a collaborative effort. As he explains, it isn’t only about their screenplay, but it also comes down to the studio and the director sharing their vision for these characters.

    We think about these characters as, “Hey, here’s some great characters that hopefully an audience will enjoy. And of course we’re working with the studio and with Jaume, the director, and, of course, DJ, who is also super entrenched in this material, so really it’s a collaborative effort.

    Rory Haines

    While Haines noted the collaborative effort it took to really create these characters on screen, Noshirvani noted that the duo wasn’t really concerned with using well-known characters. Instead, it was all about taking characters they felt were generally great characters as they felt the audience would connect with them more.

    At the end of it, we’re not worried about how well-known they are, we just want to make sure they’re great characters first. Cause if they’re great characters, the fans will connect with them.

    Sohrab Noshirvani

    Black Adam is set to hit theaters on Oct. 21st. It is currently on track to earn between $70 million and $75 million.

  • DC’s ‘Legion of Super-Heroes’ Sets its Cast

    DC’s ‘Legion of Super-Heroes’ Sets its Cast

    DC has set its cast for its animated Legion of Super-Heroes movie. The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Meg Donnelly (The Winchesters), Harry Shum Jr. (Shadowhunters), Darren Criss (Glee), Matt Bomer (White Collar), and Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) have joined the cast.

    Donnelly will voice Supergirl/Kara, Shum Jr. will voice Brainiac 5, and Criss will lend his voice to the Man of Steel, Superman. Bomer, who currently stars in DC’s Doom Patrol series, is on hand to voice The Flash, while Ackles has been set as Batman. Also cast in the film are Cynthia Hamidi as Dawnstar, Gideon Adlan as Phantom Girl, Ely Henry as Bouncing Boy, Robbie Daymond as TimberWolf & Brainiac 4, Yuri Lowenthal as Mon-El, Eric Lopez as Cosmic Boy & Chemical King, Darin De Paul as Brainiac & Solomon Grundy, Ben Diskin as Arms Fall off Boy & Brainiac 2, Victoria Grace as Shadow Lass, Jennifer Hale as Alura, Daisy Lightfoot as Triplicate Girl and Zeno Robinson as Invisible Kid & Brainiac 3.

    The synopsis for the film hints at Kara struggling to adjust to her new life on Earth after the loss of Krypton, and her life at Legion Academy.

    The story picks up as Kara, devastated by the loss of Krypton, struggles to adjust to her new life on Earth. Her cousin, Superman, mentors her and suggests she leave their space-time to attend the Legion Academy in the 31st century, where she makes new friends and a new enemy: Braniac 5. Meanwhile, she must contend with a mysterious group called the Dark Circle as it searches for a powerful weapon held in the Academy’s vault.

    Jeff Wamester (Green Lantern: Beware My Power) directs the film from a script by Josie Campbell (Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous). The animated film, which hails from Warner Bros. Animation, DC and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, is slated to be released next year.

    Source: THR.

  • Brendan Fraser Describes ‘Batgirl’ as the “Antithesis” of the Usual Green Screen Superhero Films

    Brendan Fraser Describes ‘Batgirl’ as the “Antithesis” of the Usual Green Screen Superhero Films

    Brendan Fraser has seen quite the glow-up since his return to acting with Doom Patrol. It opened up many avenues moving forward, and not only is he in the Oscar-contender The Whale but was also going to take on a more villainous role in the DC Extended Universe. Sadly, that was cut short when Warner Bros. suddenly decided it wanted a tax break rather than make at least some money off of the latest DC entry.

    It’s no wonder that it’ll leave a bitter taste in anyone, especially everyone involved with the production as Blue Beetle got to continue production while an almost finished film was completely scrapped. It definitely left some scars on everyone involved including Fraser, who opened up about the issue of this project falling apart while praising Leslie Grace‘s “fantastic” performance.

    It’s tragic. It doesn’t engender trust among filmmakers and the studio. Leslie Grace was fantastic. She’s a dynamo — just a spot-on performer. Everything we shot was real and exciting and just the antithesis of doing a straightforward digital, all-green-screen thing. They ran firetrucks around downtown Glasgow at 3 in the morning, and they had flamethrowers. It was a big-budget movie, but one that was just stripped down to the essentials.

    Brendan Fraser

    It’s truly a shame that they couldn’t bring this big-budget film to HBO Max or even the silver screen. While the streaming development does keep some projects from releasing in theaters, but it at least we were able to see a vision come to life. Yet, Batgirl seems unlikely to ever see the light of day and we can only theorize what the project was like based on the leaked set footage and teases by those involved with the project.

    Source: Variety