Shazam scored the lowest opening weekend in the DCEU, but the film is still a hit. Following the all-around failure of Justice League in 2017, Warner Bros. experienced a nice rebound last December with James Wan's Aquaman. The standalone received generally positive reviews from critics and crossed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office, becoming the highest-grossing DC film of all-time. With some forward momentum established, the onus was on Shazam to keep things going in the right direction as WB forges ahead with their next slate of DC projects.
Fortunately, it did just that. Receiving enthusiastic word-of-mouth, Shazam became Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes in the days leading up to its theatrical premiere. The response caused its box office projections to increase ever so slightly, and the movie ended up performing right within those adjusted estimates in its opening frame.
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According to Box Office Mojo, Shazam earned $53.4 million in its first three days. When its earnings from the early screenings are taken into account, the film's made $56.7 million in the States so far. Worldwide, it's at $158.7 million.
Though Shazam has the lowest opening weekend in its franchise, this is not cause for concern. Because the film's budget was so economical (no more than $100 million), it never needed to break the bank in order to turn a profit for the studio. Indeed, it's well on its way to hitting its break even point in the relatively near future and will most definitely end up in the black by the time it bows out of the multiplex. No sequel's been officially green lit yet, but it stands reason to believe WB will move forward with a followup now that they know audiences are onboard for Shazam's brand of superhero cinema. People seemed to enjoy its lighthearted tone, humor, and emotional core. And there are surely plenty of routes a Shazam 2 could take.
For the next couple of weeks, Shazam won't face much in the way of direct competition; the Pet Sematary remake earned $25 million this weekend. Of course, by the end of April, Shazam will most decidedly not be the hottest ticket in town. Avengers: Endgame will be out by then, rewriting the box office record book as it dominates everything else in its path. The culmination of the MCU's first three phases was crashing websites when tickets first became available, meaning Shazam will be a distant memory by the time Endgame opens. But at least it will go down as another hit for WB/DC, giving them a new character to build around for the future.
More: Shazam's Ending Sets Up A Very Different DCEU Future
Source: Box Office Mojo
