While 2019's Shazam! was only a moderate box office success, it was still deemed a hit and news of a sequel quickly followed its release. Unfortunately, that was a very long time coming and Shazam! Fury of the Gods ended up performing poorly both domestically and internationally this past weekend.
Deadline reports that the movie has hit the global box office with $65.5 million, falling well below low-ball $85 million estimates.
With $30.5 million in North America and $35 million overseas, this is a bad start and one that doesn't bode well for the weeks ahead. When we first learned that Shazam! Fury of the Gods would receive a highly coveted release in China, all signs pointed to it being a guaranteed smash hit, but it landed there with a dismal $4.4 million haul over three days.
The movie is paling in comparison to its predecessor, and with mixed reviews and a B+ CinemaScore, it feels like this is the end for Billy Batson.
DC Studios' reboot is beckoning, and while we've heard that some DCEU characters could be included, another Shazam! movie makes no business sense. James Gunn and Peter Safran even decided to part ways with megastar Dwayne Johnson after Black Adam bombed, so even with the latter serving as a producer on this franchise, we're guessing Billy is being benched.
It's a shame, but there's always a chance Shazam could return in a supporting role one day.
"Despite lacking so much of what made Shazam! great, there’s plenty of fun to be had with Shazam! Fury of the Gods, a movie that serves as a reminder the DCEU wasn’t all bad," we said in our review. "It’s just a shame it never quite manages to electrify us in the same way as its predecessor."
For what it's worth, Zachary Levi seems optimistic about Shazam's DCU future...
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