The performance of “Black Adam” is good news for theater chains and studios alike. The summer movie season fizzled in August for lack of titles, the result of production delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The film features Mr. Johnson in the role of a lesser-known lead character than the better-known heroes of the DC Comics universe, such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Flash.

Warner Bros. Pictures spent about $200 million to make the movie and expected it to gross $60 million domestically, said Jeffrey Goldstein, head of domestic distribution for Warner Bros. As the weekend progressed, superhero fans as well as families came in larger groups to see the movie, said Mr. Goldstein. The film generated $73 million in international ticket sales in its opening weekend, Warner Bros. said. 

“This is a smaller character of DC,” Mr. Goldstein said. “You’re introducing a character now, and the hope is we get to make a sequel down the road, and the character will be more well known.”

The fact that Mr. Johnson was playing an antihero character that wasn’t very well known may have limited the film’s box-office potential, compared with other superhero movies, Mr. Goldstein said. 

Overall, theaters sold $114.6 million in movie tickets this weekend, according to box-office tracker

Comscore.

It marks the best weekend haul since mid-July, when the film “Nope” came out and led the domestic box office to a $127.4 million haul. 

“This is a different type of superhero film coming from DC Comics and featuring a character that hasn’t had the kind of exposure and brand recognition that other characters have enjoyed,” said

Paul Dergarabedian,

senior media analyst for Comscore. The performance of “Black Adam” shows “the power Dwayne Johnson has to attract audiences to the multiplex,” he said.

Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive

David Zaslav

has said that DC Films’ superhero movies are a high priority for the company, which changed ownership earlier this year and has been cutting costs and laying off studio personnel in an effort to pay down a hefty debt load.

Warner Bros. has two more DC titles set for release, including a sequel to “Shazam!” and a long-awaited “Flash” movie that has been delayed and plagued by legal issues surrounding its star actor, Ezra Miller. 

In the No. 2 spot behind “Black Adam” this weekend was Universal Pictures’ romantic comedy “Ticket to Paradise” starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney, which earned $16.3 million domestically, followed by “Smile,” a horror movie from Paramount Pictures, which grossed $8.3 million in North American theaters, according to Comscore.

Write to Robbie Whelan at robbie.whelan@wsj.com