“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” felt the fury of the market at its theatrical release this weekend. The superhero film from New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. opened to a disappointing $30.5 million in 4,071 theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The “Shazam!” The sequel fell short of its modest expectations ($35 million), as well as the first film in the series ($53.5 million in April 2019), and earned a place at the lower end of comic book movie releases. DC’s modern movies, between “Birds of Prey” ($33 million in February 2020) and “The Suicide Squad” ($26.2 million in August 2021), both rated R.
Directed by David F. Sandberg, “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” brought back Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Adam Brody, and Djimon Hounsou, and added Helen Mirren, Rachel Zegler, and Lucy Liu. Critics, many of whom found the first film charming, were largely disappointed by this outing. It currently has a Rotten Tomatoes critical score of 53%.
Audiences were more positive about the sequel, earning it a B+ CinemaScore overall. The younger crowds were even more favorable.
“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” cost $125 million to produce, excluding marketing and promotional costs. Internationally, it grossed $35 million in 77 foreign markets, including China, bringing its total earnings to $65.5 million.
The DC shop at Warner Bros. has been undergoing a major recalibration for the past few months, with new bosses in James Gunn and Peter Safran forging a path for the DC Universe that will officially begin with a new “Superman” in 2025 “Shazam!” ! 2″ was one of several holdovers from the old regime, including “The Flash” in June and a new “Aquaman” in December.
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Second place went to “Scream IV” in its second weekend in theaters. The horror film, distributed by Paramount, has fallen 61% since its debut and grossed $17.5 million, bringing its domestic total to $76 million.
In its third weekend, “Creed III” grossed an additional $15.4 million to rank at No. 3. The film, directed by and starring Michael B. Jordan, has grossed $127.7 million in North America. “65” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” rounded out the top five with $5.8 million and $4.1 million, respectively.
