Shazam! Fury Of The Gods Faces A Grim $30 Million Opening Weekend

There are a few factors that could be at play here. While the first "Shazam!" The film was very well received by critics and general audiences, with a score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and an A CinemaScore from a direct audience poll, "Fury of the Gods" has considerably mixed reviews and a less favorable B+ CinemaScore. There isn't necessarily a causal relationship between bad reviews and poor box office performance (although studies have certainly shown a correlation), but the worse a movie is, the harder it is to sell it in marketing. , and the trailers for "Fury of the Gods" were a little underwhelming.

Beyond this particular film, there are also signs that the superhero genre is in decline from its former heights. 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' had a big opening weekend, but it was followed by a massive second-weekend slump and now it looks like the sequel will end its theatrical run with a gross. lower than that of "Ant-Man and the 2018". Wasp." While "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" wasn't exactly a box office bomb with its worldwide total of $858.7 million, it's nearly $500 million less than the first film. Similarly, last year's 'Thor: Love and Thunder' total ($760 million worldwide) was significantly lower than 2018's 'Thor: Ragnarok' ($858 million). The lingering impact of the pandemic obviously has to be considered, but that doesn't stop other blockbusters from breaking box office records.

Individually, a $30 million opening weekend for "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" is obviously not good news for those hoping to see the character's continued presence in the DC Universe fresh. renamed. But looking at the bigger picture, the DC Universe itself could be kicking off its soft reboot in a box office landscape that's beginning to lose interest in superhero movies.