Very bad news for superhero movies, the third straight Marvel/DC release is underperforming.
Now it’s “Shazam: Fury of the Gods,” the sequel to a surprise hit from a couple of years ago, which just had a weak Thursday preview ($3 million) and Friday tally ($10.8 million).
Right now, the ‘Shazam’ sequel is on pace for a 45% drop when compared to the first film’s opening. ‘Fury of the Gods’ is also teetering at 55% rotten on RT.
The sequel might actually open below $30 million. The current projection is $29 million. The original “Shazam” took in $56 million, so the fall off is spectacular.
I saw most of ‘Shazam 2’ this past Wednesday morning, but I didn’t review it because I walked out of the movie after 90 minutes. I couldn’t take it anymore. I give most superhero movies a shot, it is my duty to do so, but this latest one was just plain childish.
We already tackled the potential collapse of superhero movies at the box-office this past week. With the absence of Captain America, Iron Man and Hulk, Marvel has struggled a bit to find its post-“Endgame” footing.
Whereas the DCEU failed so miserably that James Gunn was hired to reboot the entire thing. “Shazam” is a remnant of the pre-Gunn era. We’ll see how he does with his own slate in the coming years, including the “Superman” movie he’s set to write and direct.
Of course, this is not the end of the superhero era, still set to be released this year are “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3,” “The Marvels,” “The Flash,” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” “Blue Beetle” and “Kraven the Hunter.”