When it debuted in 2019, Shazam! felt like a breath of fresh air within the DC Extended Universe. The franchise had suffered for years because the films had been far too dark, serious, and convoluted; Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad were simply overstuffed, pretentious, and tonally confused. While Wonder Woman and Aquaman certainly signified a step in the right direction, they were still incredibly self-serious in a way that cut out younger viewers. However, David Sandberg’s reinvention of Big with a superhero slant gave audiences a more entertaining hero in Bally Batson, played wonderfully by both Asher Angel and Zachary Levi.
Unfortunately, the success of Shazam! did not result in a new franchise for Warner Bros., as Shazam! Fury of the Gods has been continuously underperforming at the box office. After suffering from a disappointing global sum for its opening weekend, Shazam! Fury of the Gods had one of the most significant second weekend drops in the history of comic book movies. The dramatic failure has been addressed by Levi himself, who has blamed both Zack Snyder fans and Dwayne Johnson for their lack of support. While critics and skeptics have complained of superhero fatigue for many years now, the dramatic failure of Shazam! Fury of the Gods speaks to larger issues about the state of the film industry.
Lack of Enthusiasm and Market Changes
While Shazam! exceeded initial expectations when it debuted in April 2019, it was not a global smash sensation on the level of some of the other recent DC films. Considering that both Aquaman and Joker grossed over $1 billion worldwide, the relative success of Shazam! should be taken as a minor victory. Shazam! is also arguably a family-friendly film that is geared towards younger viewers, who may have outgrown their affinity for the first film during the four years between the two installments; Shazam! Fury of the Gods was pushed back a few times due to COVID-19 delays and to avoid the competition in December with Avatar: The Way of Water.
The state of the market has also radically changed from the time that the first Shazam! hit theaters. Comic book films have become even more frequent, and it appears that audiences will not support a new Marvel or DC film based on the brand alone. Additionally, the lasting ramifications of COVID-19 have led to an overall slump at the box office. Warner Bros. did their theatrical films no favors in 2021 when they made their new releases available on HBO Max on the same day they debuted in theaters. While the studio has now enacted a 45-day waiting period before dropping their new films on HBO Max, some potential viewers may have skipped the film in theaters with the knowledge that they could just catch up with it once it's on a streaming service that they already are paying for.
Poor Marketing Campaign
Shazam! Fury of the Gods certainly picked an odd spot in the 2023 theatrical calendar to debut. February had seen the debut of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, another comedic superhero sequel with a family-oriented premise. The general lack of enthusiasm for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which is also underperforming, may have led to a shroud of negativity on all of 2023’s comic book films. March 2023 was surprisingly packed with new installments in popular franchises; Creed III, Scream VI, John Wick: Chapter 4, and Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves all premiered within weeks of each other, and generated much more positive word-of-mouth than Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
The marketing campaign for Shazam! Fury of the Gods was also quite underwhelming. An initial teaser trailer debuted at Comic Con in 2021, but neither the initial advertisement or subsequent trailers did a good job explaining what the plot of the sequel was. The trailer also included a very confusing joke where Billy addresses Helen Mirren’s character and mentions that he has seen all of the Fast and Furious movies; considering that Mirren has appeared in several installments in the Fast series, this just seemed odd.
Underwhelming Responses
The DC universe is in a much different state than it was when a Shazam! sequel was first greenlit. While initially plans for a tie-in with the Black Adam film were developed, Johnson essentially sabotaged both franchises by trying to keep them distinct. Audiences may have been more interested in a Shazam! sequel if Levi had a cameo in one of the other DC films first, but it appears that Johnson did his best to make that impossible. To make the situation worse, Black Adam was a significant failure both critically and financially; most notably it featured the announcement that Henry Cavill would return to the role of Superman, which was proven to be inaccurate once James Gunn unveiled his new plan for the future of DC films.
It appears that the DCEU that initiated with Man of Steel will be wrapped up this year in order to make room for Gunn’s new vision of a rebooted, interconnected universe. While it appears that both Todd Phillips’ Joker series and Matt Reeves’ The Batman films will be able to exist within the “DC Elseworlds” timeline, many of the actors in the former DCEU have now retired from their roles. Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne will make his last appearance in The Flash, and it seems unlikely that Gal Gadot will return to the Wonder Woman franchise after Patty Jenkins’ pitch for Wonder Woman 3 did not move forward.
It doesn’t appear that there’s a future for Black Adam, and the possibility of seeing Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen and Jason Mamoa’s Arthur Curry might depend on the theatrical performance of The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, respectively. Audiences might simply feel that seeking out a new film in a dying cinematic universe isn’t worth it, particularly when reviews were so mixed.