Shazam! Fury of the Gods' $30 million opening weekend was a disaster, but things just keep getting worst for the DC Comics sequel.
2019's Shazam! earned $363 million worldwide on a $90 million budget, and while it was only a moderate hit, that was enough for Warner Bros. to move forward with a follow-up. Unfortunately, between the pandemic and multiple release date delays, Fury of the Gods arguably came too little, too late.
Interest had waned in the franchise over four years, especially in the wake of Black Adam and the news DC Studios is rebooting the DCEU as the DCU (which immediately lessened interest in the Shazam! sequel). So, it being a flop was hardly a surprise.
However, we didn't expect it to be this much of a commercial disappointment.
With a mere $133.4 million worldwide at the end of its theatrical run, Shazam! Fury of the Gods is officially the lowest-grossing DCEU movie of all time. As well as earning more than $200 million less than its predecessor, it was also topped by Wonder Woman 1984 ($169.6 million) and The Suicide Squad ($168.7 million), two blockbusters released at the height of the pandemic that premiered simultaneously on HBO Max.
Whether the rest of 2023's DCEU slate will be as disastrous remains to be seen, though it seems likely.
The Flash's biggest selling point is the fact it stars an actor who hasn't played Batman for more than three decades and interest in Blue Beetle appears minimal. As for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, its budget has spiralled out of control and it too is coming a very long time after the first instalment (which grossed $1 billion in 2018).
It's a shame Shazam! Fury of the Gods performed this poorly, but expect DC Studios to move on from both the title character and Zachary Levi in "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters" and beyond. You can read our review of the movie here.