Black Adam arrives on HBO Max following box office bust

"Black Adam" is now available on HBO Max, allowing more fans to view the DC antihero film starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

On October 21, "Black Adam" was released in theatres. Teth-Adam (Johnson) is a superhuman from ancient Kahndaq who utilised his almighty powers for revenge before being imprisoned. After nearly 5,000 years, modern archaeologists liberate Adam to aid in the liberation of Kahndaq from the crime syndicate Intergang. The Justice Society, however, provokes him: Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), and Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell).

While some applauded the "Shazam!" spin-off, the film disappointed many critics and fans. Glen Weldon of NPR described Johnson's performance as "under-seasoned" and "ponderous." According to IndieWire reporter David Ehrlich, "Black Adam" is a "lifeless extravaganza" with characters that are "a cheap replica of one from Gotham or the [Marvel Cinematic Universe]."

Furthermore, "Black Adam" underperformed at the box office, earning $400 million worldwide against a $195 million budget, which does not include marketing and other costs associated with promotion and distribution. Johnson, on the other hand, refuted claims that "Black Adam" would lose between $50 million and $100 million. Johnson quoted financiers in a tweet, claiming that "Black Adam" will earn between $52 million and $72 million.

There's still hope for "Black Adam" now that it's available on HBO Max to millions of customers. Furthermore, the film is making its streaming premiere during the holiday season, which may help its chances.

Another superhero film with an antihero, "Morbius," was a box office fiasco that bombed twice in theatres, earning only $163 million globally and $74 million domestically on a $75 million budget. Despite not turning a profit, Sony has a multiyear arrangement with Netflix, thus the film was a success after all. When it released on Netflix in September, "Morbius" made the top ten list.