The widespread appeal of superhero movies means that each new one is widely anticipated. Figures from earlier this year show that Marvel has produced nine of the top ten films in this genre, with 2019’s Avengers: Endgame leading the global box office numbers.
Aquaman is the only DC character to make it into this list, but will the release of a Black Adam movie in 2020 change this?
Who Is Black Adam?
Rather than a superhero, Black Adam is a DC supervillain who has appeared in numerous comics over the years. He is a regular adversary of Captain Marvel and first appeared in 1945, before becoming a regular character a couple of decades later.
This villain was originally cast as a power-hungry ancient Egyptian, known as Teth-Adam, who has travelled to the present day. Modern versions featuring him tend to show him as a corrupt individual who is trying to clear his name.
Black Adam is a powerful warrior who has enhanced senses and can summon special powers.
What Do We Know About the Movie?
The movie is being directed by Jaume Collet-Sera, and it will see him team up again with Jungle Cruise star Dwayne Johnson in this New Line/Warner Bros film. Johnson will play the role of Black Adam, with no confirmation to date of who will be starring alongside him or where the action will be set.
It is a spin-off from 2019’s Shazam movie, which was originally going to introduce Black Adam until the studio decided to launch him in his own film. Early reports point towards Black Adam being more intense than last year’s release.
It seems set to focus on his origin story, with reports that it might feature his attempt to harness the power of Shazam for the first time. Some sources mention the movie showing how he seeks revenge for the murder of his family.
Filming is scheduled to begin in July 2020. There is no confirmed release date. It was originally thought that it would be in cinemas by the end of 2021, although the latest reports suggested that it may be delayed.
Will It Be a Success?
The recent success of superhero movies means that hopes are high for Black Adam. However, not every film in this genre has made huge profits.
2017’s Justice League and 2013’s Man of Steel are currently the lowest-grossing movies in the DC movie universe. There is a lot of demand for superhero films, but it is clear that not every character or adaptation is going to earn big profits at the box office.
Black Adam is a fairly well-known character being played by one of the most bankable stars around now. Egyptian themed films have traditionally been popular too, with epic movies such as Cleopatra from 1963 becoming legendary. More recent efforts like 2016’s Gods of Egypt and 2017’s The Mummy flopped, though.
Another point to bear in mind is that the fascinating culture of ancient Egypt still captures imaginations in the entertainment world in 2020, especially gaming, with the release of Builders of Egypt by Strategy Labs. A few years ago, the Egypt trilogy from The Adventure Company proved to be popular.
We can also see on the VegasSlotsOnline site that Cleopatra and Pharaoh’s Fortune are among the most popular, free online slots that they offer. Another example of this enduring popularity comes with the Egyptian Roulette game by DoubleGames.
Conclusion
The star power of Dwayne Johnson and the relative popularity of Black Adam means that this movie starts off with a good chance of success. However, until we see more details or view the first trailer, it is unclear how attractive it will be to the public.