Dwayne Johnson’s $200 million sci-fi misfire becomes an unexpected global streaming success.

There was a time when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson seemed invincible. After successfully transitioning from wrestling to the big screen with a role in the Mummy franchise, he faced a minor setback with the Scorpion King spinoff but quickly bounced back. Johnson joined the Fast and Furious franchise, elevating the series and helping both Furious 7 and The Fate of the Furious gross over $1 billion. He also played a key role in revitalizing Jumanji into a modern action-adventure series, with the first two films raking in $962 million and $801 million, respectively. A third Jumanji film is set to release later this year.

However, Johnson’s star power has dimmed recently. His foray into serious acting with The Smashing Machine didn’t resonate, leading him back to blockbusters with a live-action Moana remake that flopped. A few years prior, he attempted to position himself as a leading figure in the DC franchise, but his superhero film underperformed, highlighting the need for a DC Universe reboot. This marked the start of a series of disappointing box office results for Johnson, including Red One, The Smashing Machine, and the Moana remake.

Despite being viewed as a failure initially, new data indicates that Black Adam is thriving now that it’s on Netflix. While superhero films have struggled in theaters, this suggests there’s still a market for them.

The film in question is Black Adam, which hit Netflix on August 1. Within days, it climbed into Netflix’s top ten most-watched movies, ranking as the sixth-most-popular film on my app. This is impressive for a nearly four-year-old superhero movie that didn’t perform well at the box office.

Reports indicate that Black Adam grossed only $391 million against a $260 million budget, which is underwhelming in today’s blockbuster landscape, prompting a complete reset of the DC film universe. However, its streaming success shows that its legacy continues.

Discussions about superhero fatigue arise whenever a film like Black Adam or Supergirl underperforms, yet data reveals a sustained interest in this genre. While Black Adam is thriving on streaming, Spider-Man: Brand New Day has already surpassed $1 billion at the box office.

Although superhero films may not be a safe bet for a $200+ million budget on lesser-known characters like Black Adam, there remains an audience that will eventually discover these movies.

As for the future of Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam, it remains uncertain. Johnson mentioned in a 2022 post that “DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters,” but there has been no further news regarding the character in any DC Studios projects since then.