‘Shazam!’ Sequel Falls Flat In Debut Weekend

Topline

Shazam! Fury Of The Gods debuted below expectations in its first weekend in theaters, and fell short of the superhero franchise’s first film, though it still premiered at No. 1 at this weekend’s domestic box office.

Key Facts

Weekend Domestic Box Office Estimated Grosses

1. Shazam! Fury Of The Gods, $30.5 million
2. Scream VI, $17.5 million
3. Creed III, $15.3 million
4. 65, $5.8 million
5. Ant Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, $4 million

Big Number

$90.3 million. That’s how much money was made overall at the domestic box office this weekend, the 11th of the year, according to Box Office Mojo. It’s a noticeable improvement from recent pandemic-stricken years. In 2020, the 11th weekend of the year at the box office made $53.7 million. In 2021, it did just $17.2 million, and last year it grossed $83.4 million. Still, domestic movie theater sales haven’t fully recovered from where they were pre-pandemic: in 2019, $139.8 million was grossed in this same weekend.

Key Background

Shazam! Fury Of The Gods stars Zachary Levi as the titular hero. It has a 53% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 87% score from fans. Audiences gave it a B+ on Cinemascore. The DC Comics film’s average opening stands in stark contrast to the Marvel Universe’s movies, which are known to dominate the box office for weeks. It also comes after two particularly strong premiere weekend debuts for Scream VI and Creed III, which both set records for their film franchises.

Further Reading

Weekend Box Office: ‘Scream VI’ Sets Franchise Record With $44.5 Million U.S. Debut (Forbes)

Weekend Box Office: Michael B. Jordan’s ‘Creed III’ Soars Past Expectations—And Sets Franchise Record (Forbes)