The Rock Fraud: The ongoing revelations about Black Adam and its box office performance continue to unfold daily. Despite having high hopes for the film, Dwayne Johnson, also known as “The Rock,” fell short of achieving the soaring success seen in other live-action Marvel-DC movies released this year. Unfortunately, a new report has surfaced accusing him of fraudulent practices, which could potentially tarnish his reputation.
What are the Fraud Allegations Against “The Rock?”
Initially, according to THR, Black Adam needed to generate $600 million to turn a profit. However, with its worldwide earnings amounting to only $388 million, it would suffer a loss of approximately $100 million. In response to this report, Dwayne Johnson attempted to douse the flames by sharing an article from Deadline, which claimed the movie was indeed profitable. Nevertheless, he is now facing allegations of manipulating the numbers.
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Taking into account various reports, Black Adam had a total cost of nearly $300 million. This figure encompassed a production budget of $195 million, along with approximately $100 million spent on marketing. Considering that theater chains typically receive around 50% of each ticket sale, WB Discovery, the film’s distributor, would end up with approximately $180-$190 million.
According to Deadline and Dwayne Johnson, when factoring in revenue from PVOD rentals and streaming releases, the film was projected to yield a profit of $52 million. However, these numbers have faced skepticism from numerous fans, and a report from Matt Belloni at Puck suggests that the figures presented by Deadline were misleading.
Who Unveiled the Fraud?
In his newsletter, Belloni unveiled insights from “several Warners executives” claiming that Johnson and his team leaked erroneous information about Black Adam’s earnings to Deadline. These leaks were allegedly “filled with false assumptions.” It appears that the actual PVOD and streaming revenue do not align with the reported figures.
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It remains to be seen whether Johnson and his team will refute these allegations.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding its financial success, Black Adam’s reliance on earnings beyond theatrical releases is rather embarrassing for the movie. Johnson, however, still asserts that it has altered the power dynamics within the DC Universe, as he hopes to see the franchise continue. In a desperate effort to greenlight Black Adam 2, he remains committed to his initial promises.
Nevertheless, the power dynamics within the DC Universe have indeed shifted. James Gunn and Peter Safran now hold the reins of the DCU, and rumors suggest they are contemplating a complete reboot of the “DCEU” while moving forward with upcoming DC Studios films.
Initially, Dwayne Johnson actively pursued this position to shape DC’s future. However, that opportunity did not materialize, and his movie failed to achieve blockbuster success at the box office. Given the lack of acknowledgment between Johnson and James Gunn, it is increasingly unlikely that a sequel to Black Adam will come to fruition.
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Perhaps The Rock may also aspire to take on a producer’s role, but that ambition may currently be beyond his reach.