It seems like the entire Shazam family and daughters of Atlas are not enough to save ‘Fury of the Gods’ in terms of box office collections. The Zachary Levi starrer opened worldwide in theatres this Friday but failed to meet expectations. Its 2019 predecessor was made on a $100 million budget and collected nearly $366 million. We know it is a meagre figure considering the popularity of the superhero genre. But the first part was a dark horse for Warner Bros and later became a sleeper hit. It was silly, fun, emotional, and, most importantly, focused. Shazam 2 excels in the first three departments. However, it looks like David F. Sandberg and his team forgot about maintaining the last department.
Here’s why Shazam 2 tanked at the box office!
Mixed critical reception
Most critics have pointed out Shazam 2’s inability to bottle the first entry’s lightning. The sequel suffers from a disjointed and overstuffed storyline. Additionally, it heavily relies on the silly charm of its performers that made the first entry such a memorable watching experience. The film currently stands at a 53% “rotten” score on Rotten Tomatoes.
DCU Vs DCEU
James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new regime surfaced due to the recent internal shakeups at Warner Bros Pictures’ parent company, Warner Bros Discovery, leading towards DCU. The newly appointed co-CEOs of DC Studios have decided to bury all Shazam-connected instalments, including Black Adam. This scenario has resulted in fans losing faith in Shazam because they know that the superhero character’s future in Gunn and Safran’s new superhero universe is not bright at all.
Too many film releases in March
Michael B. Jordan’s Creed 3 minted $58.7 million in its opening weekend, gaining a perfect start in March this year. The film has compiled more than $220 million globally and is still going strong. And Jenna Ortega’s Scream VI is not backing out as well, earning $17.5 million in its second weekend against Shazam 2’s opening weekend collections. Moreover, things are going to get way more complicated for the Zachary Levi sequel after the gun-blazing and blood-splashing arrival of Keanu Reeves’ John Wick Chapter 4 next Friday, March 24. In other words, we can say that the superhero sequel has choked at the box office.
Shazam 2 is currently running in theatres. Stay tuned for more updates.
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