Shazam! Fury of the Gods star Zachary Levi has said a few times that he believes the character's future in the DCU hinges on the upcoming sequel's success. However, if these early box office projections are any indication, the Big Red Cheese may be heading the same way as Black Adam.
According to Box Office Pro's current forecasts, the Shazam! follow-up is currently on track to earn between $43 million and $52 million during its opening weekend in North America.
Even a high of $52 million wouldn't match its 2019 predecessor, and that itself wasn't exactly a huge hit with $363.6 million worldwide. It was an admirable haul, though, and enough - with positive reviews - to prompt Warner Bros. to greenlight a sequel.
However, four years later, it seems interest in the franchise has waned and multiple release date delays are unlikely to have helped matters. Throw in the fact people know the DCEU will soon be rebooted as the DCU, and it's hardly surprising that Shazam! Fury of the Gods may underwhelm financially.
While Wonder Woman 1984 ($16.7 million) and The Suicide Squad ($26.2 million) debuted with dismal openings, that's down to the pandemic and day-and-date releases on HBO Max. Shazam! Fury of the Gods will open right above Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey and likely below Shazam!, making it one of the DCEU's worst debuts to date.
For comparison's sake, Black Adam opened to $67 million last October and was deemed a disappointment.
With Shazam! Fury of the Gods arriving in theaters weeks after Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, it should hit #1 no matter what happens. However, it will soon face stiff competition from John Wick: Chapter 4 and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. The marketing campaign for this has has been poor and that's thought to be due to Warner Bros. Discovery's lack of funds.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is set to be released on March 17, 2023.