Shazam! Fury of the Gods has taken a steep nosedive in its second weekend at the box office. The film is the first sequel to the 2019 DC Universe outing Shazam!, which saw foster teen Billy Batson (Asher Angel) gain the ability to transform into the superhero Shazam (Zachary Levi). Director David F. Sandberg returned for this new outing, which follows the fallout of Billy giving his foster family those same powers, which are now sought after by the vengeful daughters of Atlas.
Per Deadline, the projected final take of weekend 2 following the March 17 Shazam 2 release date is going to be $9.7 million at the domestic box office. This is a roughly 68 percent drop from the film's opening weekend, which is one of the worst drops of the entire DCU. The only films that suffered stronger week 2 drops were Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which nevertheless made $51 million after that drop, and 2021's The Suicide Squad, which was also made available on HBO Max at the time of its premiere.
It's Probably A Good Thing The DCU Is Changing
This disappointing box office gross for Shazam! is a continuation of a downward trend for the entire DC Universe. Amid behind-the-scenes shakeups following the Warner Bros. and Discovery merger that led to the cancellation of the upcoming HBO Max film Batgirl while it was in post-production, DC's previous outing Black Adam also disappointed at the box office. Although it grossed $393 million worldwide, the Dwayne Johnson vehicle's massive price tag prevented it from making a profit.
Black Adam's poor box office was followed by a reversal on the promise of its mid-credits scene, which featured Henry Cavill's return as Superman. Shortly after the film's release, it was announced that Superman would be recast in the franchise created by DC Studios' new co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran. This backstage turmoil and uncertainty could very well be part of the reason that the return of the Shazam family underperformed at the box office, indicating that audiences might be less willing to invest themselves in the current incarnation of DC heroes, assuming they will be scrapped or changed within a few years.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods had the misfortune to come out amid a perfect storm of factors that led to its low box office take. It currently remains to be seen if the next iteration of the DCU will be able to boost the franchise's box office status. However, it seems like a hard reset might be exactly what is necessary to revive interest in the films as a whole.
Source: Deadline
