Early data suggests the Shazam! sequel could is predicted to face a struggle to match the impact of its predecessor.
March has been a good month for the theatrical experience thus far, with several films opening to very solid box office numbers. Scream VI has opened to a franchise best haul (you can catch our review here) whilst Creed III (ditto here) exceeded even the most optimistic projections to bring in $185m, a haul that looks like it will surpass the previous films’ earnings in the US and Canada at least. However, one major release that didn’t maintain a strong opening was Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania, sparking a debate about ‘superhero fatigue’. You can catch our thoughts on that here.
All of which leads us to the next big superhero release in the form of Shazam: Fury Of The Gods. Tracking projections for the film, which releases here in the UK on Friday, are not looking strong with reports indicating the film will open in the US at around $24m, some way below Warner Bros’ conservative estimation of $35m. Obviously, strong word of mouth will help here so this could yet turn around but the film doesn’t seem to have been given the same promotional push as some of its predecessors, and amid the slew of new DCU projects announced by James Gunn, its seeming status as an outgoing franchise may also be a factor here too.
The first Shazam! did garner some great reviews so this is far from a done deal, but with some other aforementioned successful films continuing to fill cinema seats, Fury Of The Gods might have a fight on its hands, doubly so since Warner Bros doesn’t seem to have pushed it as strongly as you might imagine. We’ll bring you more on this story as it unfolds.
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