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Shazam! Fury of the Gods, the sequel to the 2019 DC film Shazam!, released in theaters last month amidst much fanfare and excitement. However, the movie failed to live up to expectations at the box office. Despite having a budget of $125 million, the DC film earned just $30 million during its opening weekend.
Shazam 2 is also the lowest-grossing movie in the DC Extended Universe franchise, with a worldwide box office collection of $120 million as of April 5, 2023.
While there has been mixed reviews from the audience regarding the film, one of the main issues that critics have pinpointed about this DC movie is its poor writing and storyline. While the first movie was praised for its unique take on the superhero genre, the sequel fails to deliver in terms of originality. According to critics' reviews, the plot is predictable and unoriginal, the jokes fall flat, the characters lack depth, and the storyline fails to progress in any meaningful way.
Lead actor Zachary Levi’s controversial anti-Pfizer tweet also seems to have had an indirect impact on the movie’s reception, with many interpreting Levi’s tweet as an anti-vaccine sentiment. Levi’s statement resulted in a social media backlash less than two months before the release of Shazam 2, with several unhappy viewers calling out the actor online and refusing to watch his movie.
Overall, Shazam 2 seems to be on the receiving end of the stick, with too many factors working against the film’s favor.
Here are six other DC Universe movies that have bombed at the box office and did not meet the financial expectations of the producers.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Justice League, Black Adam and 4 other DC films that left fans disappointed
1) Justice League (2017)
Justice League was considered a commercial disappointment as it did not meet the studio's box office expectations. With a production budget of around $300 million, the film grossed approximately $657.9 million worldwide. While this may seem like a significant amount of money, it was still considered a disappointment compared to the projected earnings and the high cost of production and marketing.
This DC film was initially projected to earn over $110 million in its opening weekend in the United States, but it fell short of that mark, grossing only $93.8 million. This made it one of the lowest openings of any DC Comics Extended Universe movie at the time of its release, despite being one of the most anticipated releases of the year.
Additionally, the movie received mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike. While many viewers praised the movie for its action sequences, it was criticized for its plot, pacing, generic villain, cinematography, and CGI. Even though the movie brought together iconic characters like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and The Flash, the movie failed to live up to the hype and left fans of the franchise disappointed.
Film critic Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter, described the film as visually ugly and boring, saying:
“…there’s never a moment when, with all the pieces in place, the story suddenly sweeps you up to provide an exhilarating ride to the finish line; instead, it continues to look and feel like something patched together with parts from different engines and with no internal integrity of its own…you get the feeling it was a chore to make, so it’s a chore to sit through, too.”
2) The Suicide Squad (2021)
James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, while being a significant improvement over its predecessor, 2016’s Suicide Squad, was still a flop at the box office. Although the film became the most-streamed DCEU film on HBO Max, it only grossed $169 million in worldwide box office collections against a production budget of $185 million.
The film’s failure has been attributed to a number of factors. The movie was simultaneously released in theaters and on HBO Max, which gave potential moviegoers the option to watch the movie at home. Further, there had been a surge of COVID-19 cases in many countries at the time of the movie’s release.
While the pandemic had a massive impact on the movie’s theatrical success, it was also negatively affected by viewers’ apprehensions regarding the movie’s connection to the first Suicide Squad film. Although the film is a stand-alone sequel, the fact that it shares a title very similar to its predecessor as well as the presence of familiar characters left viewers confused and wary.
Despite an all-star cast, the movie also seemed to lack the kind of star power that Will Smith’s Deadshot and Jared Leto’s Joker brought to the first DC film.
It is notable that unlike its predecessor, which was a financial success despite negative reviews, The Suicide Squad received relatively warmer reviews from audiences and critics alike. The film received praise for Gunn's writing and direction, and the movie’s action sequences, soundtrack, and visual style.
Filmmaker and critic Siddhant Adlakha writes for Observer that:
“Gunn is much better suited to the material than either David Ayer or the trailer house that re-cut the previous film, though while the end result is gorier, funnier and occasionally more heartfelt, it doesn’t quite coalesce into something totally fun, or totally meaningful.”
3) Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was simultaneously a box-office success and also a disappointment. This DC movie made $872 million in worldwide gross with a production cost of $263 million. It also turned in $166 million on opening weekend, the biggest in DC history till date. Despite the turnover, the film was considered a flop by its makers as it did not cross the 1 billion mark as the studio had expected.
Additionally, the movie failed miserably in the eyes of critics and audiences alike. Considering this was the first time DC’s biggest characters were paired up in a live-action movie, the film was expected to fare better with regards to audience reception.
But the movie was not as well-received as its producers had hoped and had several shortcomings. Critics condemned the movie for its weak plotline, poor performances from the actors, and its overall bleak and depressing vibe.
The negative reviews also led to a historic drop in box office receipts after its opening weekend, with records showing a 68% drop in collections. The film’s poor performance also had a lot of ramifications, with several other DCEU films being put on hold.
Writing in The Telegraph, Robbie Collin described this DC film as the most incoherent blockbuster in years, adding:
"No major blockbuster in years has been this incoherently structured, this seemingly uninterested in telling a story with clarity and purpose. It grumbles along for what feels like forever, jinking from subplot to subplot, until two shatteringly expensive-looking fights happen back to back, and the whole thing crunches to a halt."
4) Black Adam (2022)
Black Adam fell short at the box office, generating a worldwide gross of around $390 million on a production cost of $200 million. Grossing $67 million during its opening weekend, this DC film did not manage to meet the expectations of the studio, especially considering marketing costs and the film’s VFX budget.
Despite featuring a star like Dwayne Johnson, the movie faced negative reviews from audiences and critics alike. A number of reasons contributed towards the film’s failure, including a poorly written script, a generic supporting cast, and a stereotypical superhero storyline.
While there has been general praise towards the film’s action scenes and visual effects, fans of the franchise were not very pleased with the movie.
The New York Times’ Maya Phillips in her review of the film describes this DC movie as:
“A dull, listless superhero movie that hits all the expected touchstones of the genre under the guise of a transgressive new antihero story.”
5) Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey was a commercial disappointment that left many comic book fans upset. The film grossed over $200 million worldwide against a production budget of $82 million, which was less than what Warner Bros. had hoped for. The film earned just $33 million on the opening weekend, making it the lowest opening for a DC film at the time of its release.
While the movie had the potential for success, with its female-led cast and a storyline centering around Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, it failed to meet the expectations that had been placed on it even before its release.
Multiple factors like an R rating, poor marketing techniques, misleading trailers, and its apparent disconnect to the larger DCEU plots are said to have led to the film’s poor performance at the box office.
The movie was also critically divisive, receiving mixed reviews from critics and audiences. While some praised its stylized action scenes and performances, others criticized its uneven tone and disjointed plot.
As Detroit News film critic Adam Graham writes:
"Birds of Prey unfolds with a scrambled narrative where the pieces are all out of order, like a puzzle that was dropped on the floor and reassembled haphazardly. The storytelling wants to be as unconventional as Harley, but the fractured way it unfolds makes a tale that is already difficult to connect with even more off-putting.”
6) Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Wonder Woman 1984 was considered a box office disappointment. The film grossed over $165 million worldwide against a production budget of $200 million, which is significantly lower than the box office performance of the first Wonder Woman film.
Critics and audiences had mixed reactions to the film, with some praising its themes and performances, while others criticized its plot and pacing.
Manohla Dargis of The New York Times writes about how the film fared in comparison to its predecessor, comparing it to a one-hit band opening with its sole claim to fame. She writes:
“Eventually, the movie gets down to its 1984 business, and the pace drifts into lethargy. The story packs in a lot of stuff and characters but without purpose or urgency.”
The movie’s relatively underwhelming performance at the box office was likely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the film was released simultaneously in theatres and on the HBO Max streaming service, which also likely led to a drop in box office numbers.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is currently playing in theaters worldwide.
