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The initial reactions to Shazam 2 were positive as many critics were surprised by the film. However, those reactions have not translated into good reviews for Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which is turning out to be another DC failure.
The latest two DC movies, Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, have both been produced by Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions company, and neither of them has fared well with critics. After getting a high number of “Rotten Reviews,” their Rotten Tomatoes scores are similar to the early batch of DCEU movies.
The Shazam 2 fiasco, as per Rotten Tomatoes
“Philadelphia Fiascos” is what the Shazam family is dubbed as in their latest outing, and the critics certainly agree with the name. Fury of the Gods has attained a 55% Rotten score after 115 critical reviews. Even though the audience score remains at 83%, the critical score is expected to go down even further.
Compared to Shazam!’s 90% Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score, this sequel has proven to be a major letdown for the reviewers in particular. However, the 55% proves that the number of critics who liked the movie is more than the ones who didn’t. Hence, it’s safe to say that Fury of the Gods is divisive at best. While the movie is certainly better than Black Adam’s 39% Rotten score, it may not be enough.
This letdown doesn’t bode well for the future of this franchise. Shazam! was produced at a budget of $100 million and went on to make $53 million domestically on its opening weekend and $365 million worldwide at the end of its run.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods has also been produced on a $100 million budget. However, as per critics, it has already dropped in quality and its box office numbers may not look as good either. Early projections state that the film will only gross somewhere between $35 million to $40 million from 4,000 North American cinemas on its opening weekend, and that’s just a middling number.
Why Shazam! 3 may not happen
Fans and some critics would say that Shazam 2 is a good heartfelt popcorn movie. However, everyone would agree that it was never going to be the kind of film that grosses somewhere between $600 million and $1 billion.
With the kind of opening that’s projected for the film, it would be hard for Shazam 2 to go even past the $300 million mark, and that is just low for a $100 million movie because WB would have spent millions on its marketing as well. So, keeping in mind the total expenditure and an approximate 50% cut of theater chains, Fury of the Gods would barely see any profits.
James Gunn and Peter Safran haven’t commented on whether or not Zachary Levi and co will continue in their new DC Universe. However, director David F. Sandberg said that Shazam 2 doesn’t contradict the new DCU in any way. The director also added that he’s been told if Fury of the Gods is successful, the franchise could continue.
Hence, it’ll be important for the film to make money, which isn’t speculated to happen. Viewers will learn more once the opening weekend numbers officially come in. However, it is possible that the entire Shazam family will be written out of DCU by The Flash, and all the roles will be recast in the future.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is currently playing in theaters worldwide.
