After the low box office performance and negative reviews of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, director David F. Sandberg issued an important announcement following the DC sequel's debut.
Shazam 2 is off to a disappointing start. The Zachary Levi-led movie suffered from negative reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, leading to the film being labeled Rotten.
Moreover, Fury of the Gods also earned a poor domestic box office performance during its opening weekend, only earning $30.5 million. Sandberg even reacted to the sequel's low box office haul, admitting that “it’s not like this comes as a surprise.”
Shazam 2 Director Pens Heartfelt Announcement After Sequel's Performance
Shazam 2 director David F. Sandberg shared a series of tweets announcing his break from directing superhero movies and his honest thoughts toward the fan and critics' reactions.
While reflecting on Fury of the Gods' Rotten Tomatoes score, the filmmaker admitted that he was "a little surprised" because the sequel is a "good film:"
"On Rotten Tomatoes I just got my lowest critic score and my highest audience score on the same film I wasn’t expecting a repeat of the first movie critically but I was still a little surprised because I think it’s a good film. Oh well."
Sandberg then confirmed that he's "definitely done with superheroes for now," hinting that he's "very eager" to go back to his horror roots:
"As I’ve been saying for a while now I’m very eager to go back to horror (as well as trying some new things). After six years of Shazam I’m definitely done with superheroes for now."
Despite the negative reviews, the director noted that he has no regrets about making the two Shazam films, with him describing the experience as "very challenging but valuable experiences:"
"Just to be clear, I don’t regret even for a second making the Shazam movies. I’ve learned so much and gotten to work with some truly amazing people. Will forever be grateful that I got to direct two of these! They’ve been very challenging but valuable experiences."
Lastly, Sandberg shared that he's looking forward to disconnecting from the "superhero discourse online" since it stresses him out:
"One thing I’ve really been looking forward to is disconnecting from the superhero discourse online. A lot of that stresses me out so much and it will be nice not having to think about that anymore."
Why Shazam 2's Failures Aren't David F. Sandberg's Fault
David F. Sandberg's latest honest statement further proved his passion for the Shazam franchise while cementing that it's not his fault that Shazam 2 failed. In fact, the initial critic reactions toward Shazam! Fury of the Gods were generally positive.
Moreover, despite the poor box office performance and negative reviews, Shazam 2 isn't really a failure considering that it still has a high audience score from Rotten Tomatoes.
There could be many factors why Shazam 2 received bad reviews from critics, such as superhero film fatigue and knowing that the DC universe will reset soon under James Gunn and Peter Safran's new regime.
Still, it's quite unfortunate that Sandberg and the rest of Shazam 2's cast and crew are on the bad side of these reviews, especially after the director pointed out the "stressful" nature of the superhero discourse.
However, the fact that Sandberg is ready to move on from superhero movies doesn't mean that the Shazam family will not be incorporated into the new DCU.
The director already shared that he was specifically told that both movies "(don't) contradict anything" Gunn and Safran have planned for the future, hinting that the future is bright for Zachary Levi's group of heroes.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is now playing in theaters worldwide.
