Shazam: Fury of the Gods director David F. Sandberg has a funny response to a fan suggesting the DCEU film should release on HBO Max. Currently set to debut in theaters in June 2023, Fury of the Gods is the eagerly anticipated sequel to 2019's lighthearted Shazam. That film, also directed by Sandberg, told the origin story of young hero Billy Batson (Asher Angel), a teen who turns into a superpowered adult (Zachary Levi) whenever he says the word "Shazam." With Billy and his foster siblings now all holding the power of the gods, Shazam 2 will see the family adjust to their status as superheroes.
Beyond that, the plot details for Shazam 2 remain tightly under wraps. What's certain is that the protagonists will be going up against a pair of formidable goddesses: Hespera (Helen Mirren) and Kalypso (Lucy Liu). There's also a third sister played by Rachel Zegler lurking about, but whether she is an ally or an enemy remains to be seen. In many ways, Shazam 2 promises to be bigger than its predecessor.
That makes Fury of the Gods the perfect movie to see in theaters, right? It was certainly made with that in mind, but with DC sending more and more movies to HBO Max, some fans have shared their thoughts about Shazam 2's release plan. One fan in particular recently speculated that Shazam 2 would be better off debuting on HBO Max because of the first film's smaller box office and the large gap between installments. Sandberg caught wind of this and responded in the best way possible: By sharing Futurama's squinting meme.
Click here to see the original post.
Clearly, Sandberg isn't too keen on having his DCEU movie debut exclusively on streaming. As the coronavirus pandemic forces more and more movies to adapt streaming releases, the debate over theatrical vs. streaming has only intensified. Warner Bros. and HBO Max have been at the center of this debate because of their 2021 strategy, which saw every movie take on a dual theatrical-streaming release. Beyond that, the coming years will see HBO Max exclusively host multiple DCEU movies like Batgirl and Blue Beetle.
While this might be a smart plan for some of the smaller movies within the franchise, Fury of the Gods doesn't fall under that category. Sandberg made Shazam 2 with the intention of it playing in theaters, just like the first one. To suddenly switch to a streaming release would result in millions of dollars lost, seeing as the film likely had a sizable budget. Of course, the suggestion of a fan on the internet doesn't mean Warner Bros. is seriously considering an HBO Max release for Shazam 2. Still, Sandberg's response to the idea says that if the studio did contemplate it, he wouldn't approve in the slightest. In that sense, the matter is closed.
Source: David F. Sandberg/Twitter
