All signs are pointing to DCEU epic Shazam! Fury of the Gods putting up one of the worst box office performances in the super-powered franchise's history.
Zachary Levi's Shazam is getting one last go around the DC track, the blue brand undergoes sweeping changes on the back of new co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran.
It is currently unknown if Levi and co. will be back as the Shazam Family in this new era of the DCU; however, the Billy Batson actor has made it clear that his future with the franchise likely hangs upon "the success of the second movie."
And If current trends hold, that might not be a good sign for the actor.
Shazam 2 Box Office Off to Limping Start
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is finally out in theaters, and early returns are not good for the DC blockbuster.
David F. Sandberg's super sequel has garnered the lowest domestic Thursday debut gross in the franchise's history. Fury of the Gods made $3.4M in Thursday previews, putting it in eleventh place (dead-last) for the DCEU.
This lean box office total is just over one-tenth of the biggest DCEU Thursday gross (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice at $27.7M), and one-third of the original Shazam!.
The full list of DCEU Thursday preview domestic gross numbers can be seen below:
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) - $27.7M
- Man of Steel (2013) - $21.1M
- Suicide Squad (2016) - $20.5M
- Aquaman (2018) - $13.7M
- Justice League (2017) - $13M
- Wonder Woman (2017) - $11M
- Shazam! (2019) - $9.2M
- Black Adam (2022) - $7.6M
- The Suicide Squad (2021) - $4.1M
- Birds of Prey (2020) - $4M
- Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) - $3.4M
It does have to be noted this list does not include Wonder Woman 1984, as Gal Gadot's DC sequel did not have Thursday screenings.
What Is Going To Happen to Shazam?
This Thursday total is not a good sign for those who have been hoping for more Zachary Levi and the rest of the Shazam Family in the new DCU.
Levi has made it clear that "the success of the second movie will determine a lot" and if these numbers continue to look the way they have so far, then it is likely audiences have seen the last of Levi's Shazam.
Of course, there is always the chance the film picks up steam as it moves into its opening weekend and beyond. However, that does not look like that is going to be the case.
The film is currently sitting at "Rotten" on Rotten Tomatoes. Tracking for the movie thinks this dismal return so far is only just the beginning, as experts coming into opening week expected the Shazam! sequel to pull in one of the worst openings in DC history.
The movie did have a relatively low budget when compared to other comic book films, so it will likely break even; however, it does not look as though it is going to have the legs Warner Bros. may have hoped for when they greenlit Fury of the Gods.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is now playing in theaters worldwide.
