When you’ve essentially announced that your next few movies are simply filler until the launch of a revamped universe, chances are that audiences aren’t going to be too enthused to rush out on opening weekend, and that’s certainly the case for DC Studios with Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
The Zachary Levi-led sequel to 2019’s Shazam! had been tracking one of the worst openings for the DC Extended Universe outside of the pandemic with domestic opening weekend predictions of between $43 million – $52 million, but the film fell short even of the lower end of that with just $30.5 million in North America across the Friday to Sunday period.
Domestically, Fury of the Gods’ opening weekend fell $23 million short of the first film, $2.5 million below Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), and above only pandemic-era releases Wonder Woman 1984 ($16.7 million) and The Suicide Squad ($26.2 million), both of which were also released day and date – for free – on HBO Max.
SEE ALSO: Read our review of Shazam! Fury of the Gods here
Fury of the Gods failed to perform any better overseas, with the $110 million-budgeted sequel bombing in China where it opened to a paltry $4.4 million; it added another $31.6 million across the other international markets, giving it a worldwide opening of $65.5 million. For comparison, that’s less than half the $140 million opening of DC’s last flop, the Dwayne Johnson-led Black Adam, so it seems safe to assume we won’t be seeing these arch-enemies face off on the New DCU, whoever may end up in the roles.
Bestowed with the powers of the gods, Billy Batson and his fellow foster kids are still learning how to juggle teenage life with having adult Super Hero alter-egos. But when the Daughters of Atlas, a vengeful trio of ancient gods, arrive on Earth in search of the magic stolen from them long ago, Billy—aka Shazam—and his family are thrust into a battle for their superpowers, their lives, and the fate of their world.
Shazam: Fury of the Gods is directed by David F. Sandberg and sees the return of Zachary Levi alongside fellow cast members Asher Angel as Billy Batson, Jack Dylan Grazer and Adam Brody as Freddy Freeman, Faith Herman and Meagan Good as Darla Dudley, Grace Fulton as Mary Bromfield, Ian Chen and Ross Butler as Eugene Choi, Jovan Armand and D.J. Cotrona as Pedro Pena, Marta Milans as Rosa Vasquez, Cooper Andrews as Victor Vasquez, and Djimon Hounsou as The Wizard. New additions to the cast include Helen Mirren as Hespera, Lucy Liu as Kalypso, and Rachel Zegler as Anthea.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is playing in empty cinemas now.
