Complete Disaster: Shazam! Fury of the Gods Fail At Box Office

Shazam! Fury of the Gods premiered at the box office on 17 March 2023. To say that the reception has been underwhelming would be an understatement. The original Shazam, starring Zachary Levi and Asher Angel as the titled character, was first released in 2019. Back then, the hype for Shazam was at an all-time high. Although the film only managed to garner $366.1 million at the box office, public opinion painted a different story.

Critics and fans loved the original, and it is easy to understand why. Shazam does have a long-standing history within the world of DC comics. With his legendary battles against Black Adam and crossover stories with Superman, Shazam feels like a natural fit. When former leadership built the DCU, many rooted for the superhero to eventually become a full member of the DCU. As Shazam! Fury of the Gods continues to stumble; the future of this superhero is very much uncertain.

What Went Wrong For Shazam! Fury of the Gods

With so much hype around the first movie, we must look at what went wrong with the second. First of all, we do need to take a look at the numbers. Shazam! Fury of the Gods had an opening of $30 Million. While this does signal that they are likely to bring in a profit, it is still lower than many would have expected. The movie alone cost $125M to make. Tripling the production cost to factor in advertising and marketing is best. This means that Shazam needs to make at least $400 million to show any profit.

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that they will ever reach that milestone. Once again, the far better-received first Shazam in 2019 brought in $366.1 million. While this is still an impressive number, it pails compared to other Superhero titles. Within the same universe, Black Adam also failed to impress movie watchers. While the audience reception to Black Adam was much better, ultimately, they only managed to garner $393 million at Box Offices. Considering that the movie cost $200 million to make, it is likely that they barely made any money.

This does lead one to a logical conclusion. The Shazam universe is not that popular. Although fans who watch the movies seem to enjoy them, they do not appeal to a broader audience.

A Viewer’s Opinion On Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Once again, when we look at Shazam! Fury of the Gods, there are a few things that we need to take into consideration. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie is sitting at a reviewer score of 54%. On Metacritic, it is on an even lower 48%. However, these scores could be clearer-cut. If you look at Rotten Tomatoes, you will see that despite the low critic score, the audience score is 85%. This does mean that movie watchers are enjoying the film.

Most people agree based on the public discourse I have seen. Overall, the first movie was better, but this one is still enjoyable. It is light-hearted, funny, and a good time in theaters overall. Then, on the opposite spectrum, you also have those who did not enjoy the film that much. The consensus is that lightning only strikes once. Some feel like Shazam is fighting for screen time in his movie. This movie does have a leading cast that is quite big. However, this is not always such a bad thing.

One exciting thing is the massive gap between public opinion and professional criticism. Ultimately, it is essential to remember that this film is one of DC’s more light-hearted projects. While many superheroes within the DCU take a much darker approach, Shazam has always been the comedy relief. Fury of the Gods is no exception to that rule. You will likely be disappointed if you expect Dark Knight or Man of Steel.

A New DC Universe Without Shazam

Although it did look at one point that the stars would align for Shazam to cross over into the main Justice League story, that will no longer happen. The DC cinematic universe will receive a reboot with James Gunn now in charge. This means most of the former cast have received their walking papers. The upcoming Flash movie, starring Ezra Miller, will ensure that the universe as we know it will look vastly different come 2025.

Out of the former Snyderverse, only two franchises will survive. Joaquin Phoenix will continue as the Joker, and Robert Pattinson will return as Batman. It is worth pointing out that neither of these films will have any connection to the new DC slate under James Gunn. The current leadership clarified that they want to create a singular universe. Gunn previously stated that The DC universe was too isolated. In the past, DC was quick to hand out IPs to everyone. As a result, you now have too many movies that need to be connected.

James Gunn comes from a Universe where every single movie is connected. Why he would want to do the same for DC films is understandable. It should be pointed out that DC does not have to follow the Marvel script.

The Snyderverse?

With James Gunn now firmly in charge of DC, many unanswered questions exist. One of those questions pertains to the future of the Snyderverse. While most, including myself, believed that the Snyderverse was officially dead, that does not seem accurate. Rumors have been making the rounds for months now that Netflix was interested in taking over the current Snyderverse.

While this is a baseless rumor, Zack Snyder is still teasing the continuation of his creation. On his official Twitter account, Zack Snyder released a 14-second video of Darkseid. In hit, he teased an announcement coming on 28 April. While many hope this announcement will be about the continuation of the Snyderverse, that is very unlikely. I cannot imagine a universe where James Gunn and DC would allow that.

It is straightforward. If DC wanted the Snyderverse to continue, they would have hired Zack Snyder as the CEO of DC. Instead, they hired James Gunn. This means that WB wants something different. Why would they now allow the Snyderverse to continue after announcing the James Gunn Slate?

Conclusion

Ultimately, only time will tell what they have planned. Is there a slim possibility that the Snyderverse can continue? However, I fear that many will be disappointed on 28 April. This announcement will likely be about a comic book or cartoon. There are no changes to another DC movie with Zack Snyder and the old cast. Logically, it would make no sense.

James Gunn has also not commented on any of this, which means it has nothing to do with DC. If it did, the CEO would be promoting it. Or they are saving the excitement for later. Once again, only time will tell.