Black Adam is HBO Max's number one movie amid DC shake-up

Black Adam is making its mark on HBO Max, shooting to the top of the streamer's charts shortly after its release on the service – and amid a major shake-up for DC Studios after co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran took charge of the cinematic universe. 

The film is currently top of HBO Max's movie chart after arriving on the streamer on December 16, just 57 days on from the film's theatrical release on October 21. The movie stars Dwayne Johnson as the titular anti-hero and also introduces the Justice Society of America. 

But, the future of the franchise is in doubt as Black Adam's chances of getting a sequel are reportedly low. Plenty of excitement was also stirred up over the Black Adam post-credits scene, which featured Henry Cavill as Superman. Cavill then announced his return as the character on Instagram, but just months later revealed he wouldn't be back as the hero after all. Instead, Gunn is writing a Superman movie that will focus on a younger incarnation of the character, hence the recasting. 

Wonder Woman 3 has also been canceled, and Jason Momoa may not return as Aquaman after the upcoming sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Matt Reeves' The Batman universe is safe, though, with Gunn and Reeves both denying a report that Robert Pattinson's Dark Knight would be joining the mainline DCU. 

More from Gunn and Safran's slate is set to be revealed next year. In the meantime, check out our guide on watching the DC movies in order to get caught up on the universe so far.