Shazam 2 Is Looking To Be A Disaster For DC In The Most Important Way
Shazam 2 is projected for a low opening weekend box office coming in well-below its budget.
Things aren’t looking too bright for Shazam 2, as the movie is currently projected to be one of the smallest DCU openings. The Direct reported on a forecast from Box Office Pro, projecting that the upcoming sequel will bring in between $43 and $52 million during its opening three-day weekend. This would put the film below the original Shazam! which brought in $53.3 million on its opening weekend.
The one upside for Shazam 2 is that the low-end $43 million prediction wouldn’t be the lowest DCEU opening ever, but that’s hardly an impressive feat. The Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman: 1984 were both pandemic-era films released day and date on HBO Max, so they hardly count. This means that Shazam! Fury of the Gods may beat Birds of Prey, but that film was Rated R, which undoubtedly cut into the audience.
If Shazam 2 falls flat, we may not see more of the hero in future projects of the reset DCU. Dwayne Johnson‘s Black Adam, which broke even and didn’t live up to expectations, was quickly left behind and won’t be a part of the new universe going forward. DCU heads James Gunn, and Peter Safran have shown they’re not afraid to trim the fat, so we may not see this version of Billy Batson again after the upcoming film.
The remnants of the previous DC Film regime have a few movies left in the tank before the Gunn/Safran plan goes into full effect. Along with Shazam!: Fury of the Gods, we’ll be seeing Blue Beetle, The Flash, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom before all is said and done. The long-delayed The Flash film is set to reset the DCU and lead into Gunn’s new plans for the universe, which starts with what he’s dubbed Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters.
When James Gunn and Peter Safran unveiled the many projects they planned for Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters, there weren’t any Shazam projects to be seen. If we get more of the character, this film will likely have to do exceedingly well to convince DC of the financial viability of more projects. With the projections the film is getting now, this seems like a pretty unlikely scenario.
The good news for Shazam 2 is that it won’t have to do incredibly well to turn a profit. The reported budget for the film is around $125 million, which could be easily made up with a wide theatrical release in the age of superhero films. The last film made $363.6 million worldwide and received positive reviews, so there’s a good chance that this film could perform similarly.
For now, we’ll have to wait and see if Shazam: Fury of the Gods does well enough to warrant more films in the future. The film is set to hit theaters on March 17. It is directed by David F. Sandberg and stars Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, Grace Caroline Curry, Meagan Goode, Rachel Zegler, Adam Brody, Djimon Honsou, Jack Dylan Grazer, Ross Butler, D.J. Cotrona, and more.
