The fate of Shazam!: Fury of the Gods was always in jeopardy. Following James Gunn’s announcement of DC Universe’s new slate of films, which didn’t mention Shazam, director David F. Sandberg and actor Zachary Levi were convinced that their work may not come to fruition with the reset of the franchise. Hence, they kept personally promoting the film, urging fans to give Fury of the Gods a shot at the theaters. That idea didn’t go well either, as Shazam!: Fury of the Gods opened to low numbers and more divisive critical and audience response. But these latest results weren’t ever expected, even by the ones who hated the old DC Extended Universe, let alone the fans.
The Shazam sequel is about to end its theatrical run ahead of new releases that include the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Per recent reports, Fury of the Gods! will end up losing a lot more than expected, collecting a total that’s lower than what Morbius brought in in 2022. Like Morbius, Shazam!: Fury of the Gods was released after numerous release delays, but Morbius collected $167.5 million whereas the Shazam sequel will end up earning only $132 million against a $100-125 million budget.
The news is as shocking as it is hilarious, because the reception that Morbius received couldn’t have been expected to repeat itself. While the shock will eventually subside, Twitter didn’t pull any punches to vent out the bizarre comparison of the two movies’ box-office numbers.
Sony Spider-Man Universe’s Morbius was a disappointment. It went too far with the adjunction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and ruined the whole narrative. It’s indeed incomprehensible how Shazam, which did neither of those things, ended up in box-office ruins.
Someone pointed out that the movie was way better than Morbius, and how it failed is unexplainable. Could it be because the studio failed to market it correctly?
Meanwhile, the Snyderverse fans won’t just keep it light.
Shazam!: Fury of the Gods didn’t start well. The film opened to far lower numbers than anticipated or projected. It opened at $30.5 million, even lower than its predecessor. With the current total, it will fall more than two hundred million dollars short of the 2019 introductory film of the titular superhero. And with a 50% rotten score at the Rotten Tomatoes review aggregator, the film has failed both critically and commercially, unlike Shazam!, which was one of the best-reviewed films of the franchise.
The only hope for Shazam to retain a place in the new DCU was for the sequel to appease the masses, if not the critics. The numbers were necessary here as the new DC Studios is already laying off members of the old DCEU. Zachary Levi, who was already like a missing link in the continuity, was most vulnerable to losing his spot. And now, with these numbers, it’s unlikely James Gunn will continue the Shazam family storyline from where Fury of the Gods left it. Any hope fans had for the character would now appear to be dashed.
After the film’s theatrical run, Shazam: Fury of the Gods! will premiere on the newly branded Max streaming service on May 23, coinciding with the platform’s relaunch.
