This really isn't shaping up to be a good weekend for Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
After a disappointing $3.4 million haul on Thursday afternoon/evening, it's become clear that interest in the sequel among moviegoers is muted. That can be blamed on a number of factors, including a poor marketing campaign and the fact this follow-up is being released four years after 2019's Shazam!
Oh, and it probably doesn't help that DC Studios decided to reveal the DCEU will be rebooted six weeks before this movie arrived in theaters (that's a great way to help make DC stand for "Don't Care" in 2023).
Despite that, it appears fans also aren't thrilled by what David F. Sandberg has delivered with his sequel. We've established that critics don't love the movie - it has a 54% score as we write this - and Shazam! Fury of the Gods' CinemaScore is B+, the same as last October's Black Adam.
Ouch.
Justice League, Suicide Squad, and Wonder Woman 1984 were given B+ scores and all derided by critics. However, the likes of Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey, The Suicide Squad, and Joker received the same mark, but received positive reviews.
On the Marvel side, Shazam! Fury of the Gods sits alongside Venom, Thor, and Spider-Man 3.
In terms of box office news, Deadline reports that the sequel was on its way to an $11 million Friday that should help it limp to the $30 million mark. It may exceed expectations or fall beneath them, though it's coming in well below the initial lowball projections of $35 million.
Something tells us we won't be getting a Shazam! 3 from DC Studios, though it's always possible the Big Red Cheese will show up elsewhere as a supporting character.
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