‘Shazam! Wrath of the Gods’
Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection
DC and New Line Cinemas Shazam! Wrath of the Gods Feels bad.
The film opened domestically to a dismal $30.5 million from 4,071 theaters. Shazam! In 2019, not adjusted for inflation.
It’s one of the worst starts for a major Hollywood superhero film, as well as one of the worst starts for a title in the DC Cinematic Universe, including those released during Pandemic.
Pre-release monitoring recommended Shazam! Wrath of the Gods It will open to at least $35 million this weekend. Others believed it to be $40 million.
Shazam 2Rotten Tomatoes’ critics score is a ho-hum 54 percent. This compares to 90 percent for the 2019 film. Compared to the first’s A, the sequel earned a more modest B+ CinemaScore.
Families — which played a key role in the surprise success of the first film — are a challenging movie-going demo in the pandemic era. Parents and children followed suit.
Wrath of the Gods It’s the 12th installment in the DC Extended Universe and the first to be released after Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslau tapped James Gunn. Shazam! Owner-producer Peter Safran directs DC Studios and creates a complete turnaround.
Wrath of the Gods The future of DC characters and actors introduced before Gunn and Safran’s acquisition hangs in the balance. For example, Superman actor Henry Cavill will not be returning. Levy addressed her future at the Hollywood premiere on Tuesday The Hollywood Reporter: “I am very happy with this film. … I hope this is not my last.
David F. Directed by Sandberg Shazam! Wrath of the Gods Screenplay by Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan. Asher Angel and Zachary Levy return as Billy Bastion, aka Shazam. Djimon Hounsou, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu and, in her first film since Spielberg’s breakout role. West side storyRachel Zegler also stars.
Another new wide release of the weekend was Roadside Attractions’ Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlins. Moving, which debuted to around $2 million from 791 screens. The comedy relied on the elderly, a challenging demo as were the families. Moving It came in number 12.
Back in the top 10, Scream VI It grossed $17.5 million from 3,675 theaters for a domestic total of $76 million. The slasher film fell 61 percent.
Creed III It was a notable contender, earning $15.3 million from 3,477 locations, making $127.6 million in its third release.
At the specialty box office, Focus Features’ Willem Defoe heist-thriller Inside It came in at number 14 with $470,000 from 375 locations.
A lot more to come.
March 19, 7:45 am: Updated with revised ratings.
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