Rumors are swirling that Black Adam is not getting a China release due to Marvel fans, which if that is the case, would certainly kill its box office.
It has been thought that Black Adam would get released in China on Nov. 11 (the same date Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opens in the rest of the world, but it will not get released in China), where Dwayne Johnson has a huge following, but nothing official has been announced.
However, on Wednesday, a big rumor hit that Black Adam is not going to be released in China.
Update: Deadline reports Black Adam is unlikely to get a China release.
China decided not to release Black Adam
A user on the Box Office Theory forums (via Reddit) posted that as a result of Chinese Marvel fans informing the Chinese Film Board that Pierce Brosnan is a Dalia Lama supporter, China has decided not to release Black Adam.
“Pierce Brosnan wore something related to Daila Lama in an interview – that is what I heard / read,” states user Tiger Paw. “And on Weibo, there are comments that said many Marvel fans took the chance and called in to the film board to highlight this and complained to get the film banned.”
Fans on Chinese social media say they don’t want Black Adam released
A Twitter user also posted screenshots.
The screenshots are from Chinese social media which say fans are targeting Black Adam and don’t want the movie released.
Chinese film Twitter account lists inaccurate predictions
A known Twitter user who covers Chinese-related film news also tweeted a list of of American movies that are/were predicted to get released in China.
However, none of the films have been released in China, which suggests the predictions are basically all wrong.
Pierce Brosnan shares a special bond with the Dalai Lama
Pierce Brosnan, who plays fan-favorite Dr. Fate in Black Adam, has gone on record that he shares a special bond with “His Holiness” the Dalai Lama who is in exile in India and who is the head of state and spiritual leader of the Tibetan government.
The problem is the Chinese don’t recognize Tibet as an independent nation and claim Tibet is under the sovereignty of China.
As the Tibetan Journal points out in an article published in 2021, Pierce Brosnan is known to have traveled to India to visit with the Dalai Lama and is reported to have funded different Tibetan projects including the donation of over $300,000 he got from photographs taken at his wedding in 2001 to build a school for Tibetan children.
Brosnan has also admitted he carries Tibetan holy beads given to him by a monk on an airplane that suffered massive turbulence where he thought he was going to die so now he carries them every time he travels.
So apparently Chinese MCU fans upset about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever not getting a China release pointed out Pierce Brosnan’s Tibetan connections to the Chinese government and now Black Adam won’t get released.
Black Adam may break even
The Black Adam box office is presently at just over $256 million worldwide.
At a reported cost of $200 million to make, Black Adam needs around a $500 million box office just to break even, I believe.
Certainly, China would have helped with that.
Johnson’s Hobbs & Shaw (Chinese are big fans of Fast & Furious) made a whopping $201 million in China; Jumanji: The Next Level over $41 million; Skyscraper just under $100 million; Rampage over $156 million; Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle $78 million.
The DCEU films also do well: Aquaman almost $300 million; Shazam over $43 million; ; Whedon’s Justice League over $100 million; Wonder Woman $90 million; Batman s Superman almost $100 million; Man of Steel over $60 million.
So if Black Adam did have a Chinese release it’s safe to say it would have done at least decent.
As of now without China, Black Adam could finish with a rather underwhelming $400-500 million box office.
Dwayne Johnson out; James Gunn in charge
What is also pretty interesting is that the same week Black Adam got released, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav appointed James Gunn and Peter Safran as heads of the DCU.
Rumors offer Gunn and Johnson are butting heads and neither of them has said a word to each other on social media, and we all know how active they are.
Does Zaslav already know Black Adam isn’t getting released in China which may mean the flick won’t make any money?
Is that one of the reasons he appointed Gunn as the head of the DCU instead of Johnson and his producer team?
Recall my DC insiders told me at Comic-Con that Dwayne Johnson wanted to take over the DC films but only if Black Adam is a success.
All throughout the marketing, Johnson teased the “hierarchy of power in the DC universe is about to change.”
Well, James Gunn is in charge now.
