A release date for Shazam! Fury of the Gods to be available to stream online has just been set.
Shazam 2 was released in theaters on Friday, March 17, and opened to an underwhelming $30.1 million domestically.
This is the worst opening for a DC film that wasn't (directly) affected by the pandemic. 2019's Shazam! earned $53.5 million, breaking a common trend of sequels outperforming their predecessor.
Fury of the Gods director David F. Sandberg admitted how “it’s not like this comes as a surprise," when discussing the immediate box office performance.
The DCU's final 2022 film, Black Adam starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson opened to a more impressive $67 million and was available to purchase on streaming 31 days after its October theatrical release.
When Shazam: Fury of the Gods Releases Online
Amazon Prime revealed the digital release date for Shazam: Fury of the Gods as April 18.
That is only 32 days after Shazam 2 was released in theaters, giving fans even less incentive to venture out to a theater in order to watch DC's latest film.
It is yet to be determined when HBO Max subscribers will be able to stream the film for no additional cost.
Shazam! 2's Problematic Release
Shazam! Fury of the Gods' reported $100 million budget is economical compared to other comparable comic book movies, especially in contrast to Black Adam's budget which ballooned to $260 million.
However, after earning $20 million less than the original during opening weekend, Shazam 2 is in a particularly tough position. Multiple factors are working against DC's first 2023 movie being labeled a "success" anytime soon.
The critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes is 52%, it earned a CinemaScore audience grade of B+, and opened in a crowded March with many potential adult moviegoers headed to John Wick: Chapter 4 when it opens Friday, March 24.
In recent memory, comic book movies have been met with grand openings, but question legs to withstand the weekly box office competition.
Marvel's first 2023 venture, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania opened to $106.1 million (the most of any Ant-Man film), but will likely earn the least in total within the bite-sied franchise.
In the case of Shazam 2, it started off notably slow in terms of fans traveling out to theaters and will likely not see any uptick in ticket sales, especially because viewers are being given the option to stream online next month.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is now playing in theaters worldwide.
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