There was a lot of buzz, both positive and negative, around Shazam 2 before the film’s theatrical release. On one hand, some fans were excited to see the light-hearted and humorous superhero return to action. On the other hand, the changes at the DC Studios were making it difficult to be excited about an upcoming project. Not to mention the few controversies lead actor Zachary Levi got himself entangled in.
The film was released in theatres just a few days ago and to be completely honest, is not having the best time at the box office. Whether it was the pandemic, the fans’ growing resentment towards the new regime, or something completely different, Shazam 2 is struggling at the box office. With a lower opening than its predecessor, Shazam 2 might be heading toward a dead end, as the team gets ready for a digital release.
Also Read: Zachary Levi Lost a Potential $20 Million Payday in Marvel’s Avengers Before Playing Shazam in DCEU
Shazam 2 Gets A Digital Release Date After Terrible Opening
So far, the numbers have been pretty disappointing for Shazam 2. With not many walking into the theatres to watch the film, it soon will be available to stream from the comfort of your home. The sequel with Zachary Levi returning as the fun and quirky superhero will be available to purchase on Amazon Prime from April 17, 11:00 pm central time, just 32 days after its theatrical release. As for HBO Max, a date has not been set yet, but according to ScreenRant’s prediction, the film should be available to stream there from May 2023.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods bagged the number-one spot in North America upon its release. Despite that, the film saw a disappointing opening at the box office with a total of just $30.5 million across 4,071 theatres. This means that the total number was unable to even touch the expected value, which was anywhere between $35 million to $40 million. The first Shazam film managed to secure an opening of $53.5 million.
Thanks to the $30.5 million value, Shazam 2 bags the position for the worst opening for a DC movie, apart from the ones directly affected by the pandemic. The latter category includes Wonder Woman 1984 with $16.7 million and The Suicide Squad with $26 million.
Shazam 2 Director on the Film’s Opening
When you put your heart and soul into a project, only to see it not receive the recognition you thought it would, definitely hurts. However, it looks like director David F. Sandberg was ready for the worst. After he got tagged in a Reddit post talking about the sequel’s box office numbers, Sandberg commented stating,
“No worries. It’s not like this comes as a surprise. I saw where this was heading a long time ago. I’ll be alright though. I got paid all my money upfront [smiley emoji].”
When he got called out for this on Twitter, Sandberg defended his statement stating that he was just being cheeky.
The director of Shazam has also been following you on Twitter for a long time 🙂That’s not what I meant. I meant I knew what the boxoffice tracking was looking like. The pay comment was just me being cheeky, hence the 🙂
— David F. Sandberg (@ponysmasher) March 18, 2023
Do you think Shazam 2 will be picking up the pace at the box office anytime soon? Especially with the film coming out so soon on streaming platforms, would fans just rather wait than go to the theatres?
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is currently playing in theatres.
Source: Amazon Prime
