Shazam: Fury of the Gods is the sequel to the 2019 hit film Shazam! At that time, DCEU had no plan as what they want to do with their universe and they simply kept on introducing new characters that they thought would get them money. Aquaman’s solo venture earned them a billion so they were already on a hot streak when Shazam! came out. The film was critical success, something rare for the DCEU. However, it didn’t earn the big bucks like Aquaman. The film earned around $361 million globally but it was certified as a simply because it had a minuscule budget of $100 million (low on the spectrum for a superhero film). What really worked in the film’s favor is the critical as DC films were known to be absolutely bashed by critics. A sequel was hence in the works right away.
After being a victim to many delays, the film is all set to release this March. There is no real hype around the film, as firstly Shazam! isn’t one of the flagship DC heroes like Batman or Superman, that his solo venture would crash the internet. Another point being, the film isn’t part of anything really. It looks like just a clueless adventure that might work on its own but has no connection to the world it exists in. Apparently, this feeling is shared by a lot of people as the film is projected to have the worst DCEU opening weekend ever.
Shazam 2: Fury of the Gods is one of the worst Openings in DCEU History!
After James Gunn announced his new slate for DC going forward, the fates of many superheroes remained unknown, one of them being Shazam! Gunn had said back then, the decision to include these superheroes into the new universe or not will depend upon the interest the audience shows in them after their release in 2023, this was an indicator for The Flash, Shazam 2 and Aquaman 2. While The Flash looks great, Aquaman 2 has had pretty bad test screenings reviews which means that Momoa would not continue as the sea superhero and rather take the role of Lobo.
Shazam 2 really is important for Zachary Levi if he wants to continue as Shazam! The box office performance of the sequel will determine whether Shazam is fit to be part of Gunn-Safran’s DCU. Well, the start is certainly disappointing. Shazam 2 is projected to earn only $43 to 52 million in its opening weekend of three days. It would certainly be the highest grossing film nationwide on that weekend but that is not a win. The sequel’s highest estimate won’t even breach the first film’s $53.5 million opening, which was DCEU’s lowest opening at that time.
Technically Birds of Prey is the lowest opening DCEU movie, however, numbers will say otherwise. Here’s a look at the five lowest opening weekends by DC’s dated universe:
- Black Adam – $67 million
- Shazam! – $53.5 million
- Birds of Prey – $33 million
- The Suicide Squad – $26.2 million* (Released on HBO Max and theatres on the same day in the pandemic)
- Wonder Woman 1984 – $16.7 million* (Released on HBO Max and theatres on the same day in the pandemic)
If the sequel doesn’t turn out to be profitable then Gunn would assume that fans have lost in the Zachary Levi led franchise and it would be canned. Birds of Prey had the excuse of being an R-rated spin-off of the widely detested Suicide Squad (2016). One positive for the sequel is its budget is only $125 million unlike other superhero films which have $200 million+ budgets. If the film is met with positive reviews after its premiere then there is a possibility that once again it would earn enough to survive in Gunn-Safran’s DCU.
Less than a month before releasing in theaters, Shazam 2 clearly has some work to do in order to earn more money than its predecessors. This is the era of sequel dominance, even a comparable comic book film like Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania earned over $100 million opening weekend despite poor reviews.
Shazam 2: Fury of the Gods is slated to release theatres near you on 17th March 2023.
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