Black Adam is finding a new audience on Netflix
Dwayne Johnson built a formidable blockbuster career after moving from professional wrestling into film. Following his appearance in The Mummy franchise and the setback of The Scorpion King, he became a major draw in the Fast and Furious series and helped turn Jumanji into a modern action-adventure franchise.
Furious 7 and The Fate of the Furious each earned more than $1 billion worldwide, while the first two modern Jumanji films made $962 million and $801 million. A third Jumanji film is also scheduled to arrive later in 2026.
Johnson’s recent run has been less consistent. His serious dramatic turn in The Smashing Machine failed to make a strong impression, while the live-action Moana remake also performed poorly. In hindsight, Black Adam may have been an early sign that his position as a guaranteed theatrical draw was changing.
A theatrical disappointment with a streaming rebound
Black Adam was Johnson’s attempt to become a leading figure in the DC superhero universe before James Gunn reshaped DC Studios and its connected films. The movie’s disappointing cinema run contributed to the decision to reset that universe, and was followed by weak box-office results for films including Red One, The Smashing Machine and the live-action Moana.
The film arrived on Netflix on 1 August 2026. Within days, tracking data from FlixPatrol placed it among the service’s ten most-watched films in the United States. It was listed as the sixth-most-popular movie in the Netflix app at the time.
That is a notable result for a superhero film released almost four years earlier, particularly one that failed to meet expectations in cinemas. The movie reportedly earned $391 million against a $260 million budget, a return that was not sufficient for a modern effects-heavy blockbuster. Further reporting on the film’s stalled sequel plans reflects how decisively its theatrical performance affected the franchise.
Superhero interest has not disappeared
The continuing debate about superhero fatigue often follows a disappointing release such as Black Adam or Supergirl. Streaming performance suggests a more measured conclusion: audiences may still want superhero action, even if they are less willing to support every character or enormous theatrical budget.
Black Adam has found strong attention on streaming, while Spider-Man: Brand New Day has passed $1 billion at the box office. Together, those results indicate that the genre still has an audience, although a film centred on a comparatively unfamiliar character may no longer justify a production budget above $200 million as easily as it once did.
Will Dwayne Johnson return as Black Adam?
The character’s future remains uncertain. In a 2022 post on X, Johnson said that DC and Seven Bucks had agreed to keep exploring ways Black Adam could be used in future DC multiverse stories. However, the character has not appeared in any announced DC Studios production since.
For more entertainment and gaming industry coverage, browse RETROCADE’s arcade news and editorial archive, watch the latest arcade videos, or explore the arcade machine buying guide before planning a home games room.
Leave a Reply