Black Adam Budget
ActionAdventureScience Fiction2h 5mUpdated
Synopsis
Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the Egyptian gods—and imprisoned just as quickly—Black Adam is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.
What is the budget of Black Adam?
"Black Adam," an action released in 2022, was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and stars Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge. The production budget was $200,000,000, placing it in the blockbuster range for action productions of its era.
Key Budget Allocation Categories
While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for an action production like this include:
- Stunts, Action Sequences & Visual Effects: Action films allocate a substantial portion of their budget to choreographing and executing practical stunts, pyrotechnics, and CGI-heavy sequences.
- Above-the-Line Talent (Cast & Director): A-list talent commands significant upfront fees plus backend participation.
- Production Design, Sets & Locations: Action films frequently require multiple international shooting locations, large-scale set construction, vehicle acquisitions and modifications, and specialized equipment , all of which drive production costs well above those of dialogue-driven genres.
- Pre-Production: Johnson stated in mid-April 2020 that filming had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and they were now planning to begin production in August or September of that year.
What were the major cost factors in Black Adam?
Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Black Adam."
- Stunts: Stunts, Action Sequences & Visual Effects is one of the primary cost drivers in action productions of this scale.
- Above-the-Line Talent (Cast: Above-the-Line Talent (Cast & Director) is one of the primary cost drivers in action productions of this scale.
- Production Design: Production Design, Sets & Locations is one of the primary cost drivers in action productions of this scale.
How Does Black Adam's Budget Compare to Similar Films?
At $200,000,000, Black Adam sits in the blockbuster range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:
- 2012 (2009): Budget $200,000,000, Worldwide Gross $791,217,826
- Alice in Wonderland (2010): Budget $200,000,000, Worldwide Gross $1,025,467,110
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023): Budget $200,000,000 , Gross $476,071,180
- Argylle (2024): Budget $200,000,000, Worldwide Gross $96,221,061
- Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023): Budget $205,000,000, Worldwide Gross $440,181,226
The median budget for wide-release action films in the 2020s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.
Black Adam Box Office Performance
"Black Adam" earned $168,152,111 domestically and $393,452,111 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $200,000,000, the film showed modest profitability in theatrical release.
A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "Black Adam," that break-even threshold was roughly $400,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $393,452,111, the film fell short of that threshold but recouped its production costs in theatrical release.
- Production Budget: $200,000,000
- Worldwide Gross: $393,452,111
- Net Return: $193,452,111
- ROI: approximately 96.7%
At 96.7%, "Black Adam" returned its production investment but margin was tight after marketing and distribution costs.
Black Adam Production History
Principal photography began on April 10, 2021, at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, [Filming] Principal photography began on April 10, 2021, at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia,
Lorne Balfe, who previously wrote additional music for DC's The Dark Knight Trilogy and composed the music for The Lego Batman Movie (2017), composed the score for the film. Black Adam and the Justice Society's themes were released by WaterTower Music as singles on September 30 and October 5, 2022, respectively, and the full soundtrack was released on October 21. A rendition of John Williams' Superman (1978) theme is played during the mid-credits scene, which Cavill said was selected over Hans Zimmer's Man of Steel (2013) theme because it was more recognizable to audiences..
Awards and Recognition
1 win & 12 nominations total
Critical Reception
Black Adam is described as having negative reviews, with J. Kim Murphy of Variety noting that critics generally found the film to be "repetitive and anti-entertaining". On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 41 out of 100, based on 52 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it 4 out of 5 stars.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did it cost to make Black Adam (2022)?
The production budget was $200,000,000, covering principal photography, visual effects, cast and crew salaries, locations, sets, post-production, and music. Marketing and distribution (P&A) costs are estimated at an additional $100,000,000 - $160,000,000, bringing the total studio investment to approximately $300,000,000 - $360,000,000.
How much did Black Adam (2022) earn at the box office?
Black Adam grossed $168,152,111 domestic, $225,300,000 international, totaling $393,452,111 worldwide.
Was Black Adam (2022) profitable?
The film did not break even theatrically, earning $393,452,111 against an estimated $500,000,000 needed. Ancillary revenue may have improved the picture.
What were the biggest costs in producing Black Adam?
The primary cost drivers were above-the-line talent (Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo); visual effects, practical stunts, and A-list talent compensation.
How does Black Adam's budget compare to similar action films?
At $200,000,000, Black Adam is classified as a mega-budget production. The median budget for wide-release action films in the 2020s ranges from $30 - 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles. Comparable budgets: 2012 (2009, $200,000,000); Alice in Wonderland (2010, $200,000,000); Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023, $200,000,000).
Did Black Adam (2022) go over budget?
Based on available production reports, there were indications of budget pressures during production. Detailed figures on budget overruns are not typically disclosed publicly.
What was the return on investment (ROI) for Black Adam?
The theatrical ROI was 96.7%, calculated as ($393,452,111 − $200,000,000) ÷ $200,000,000 × 100. This measures gross revenue against production budget only - it does not account for P&A or exhibitor shares.
What awards did Black Adam (2022) win?
1 win & 12 nominations total.
Who directed Black Adam and who were the key crew members?
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, written by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani, shot by Lawrence Sher, with music by Lorne Balfe, edited by John Lee, Michael L. Sale.
Where was Black Adam filmed?
Black Adam was filmed in United States of America. Principal photography began on April 10, 2021, at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, [Filming] Principal photography began on April 10, 2021, at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia,. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Filmmakers
Black Adam
Official Trailer
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