Warner Bros.
Refresh for latest…: New Line/DC/Warner Bros’ Shazam! Fury of the gods had a less than heroic launch with $65.5M worldwide, including $35 million of the international box office. We always knew this sequel was going to be less than its predecessor, but the result is also a far cry from where projections were ahead of the weekend.
Overall, the main problem on Shazam 2 appears to be a disconnect with die-hard DC fans and, as far as China is concerned, an increasingly cold public approach to Hollywood fare. Fury of the gods was simply a no-show in the PRC with a slight $4.4 million weekend. Despite a day and date release there, moviegoers didn’t show up for Shazam 2 (in the heyday of 2019, the first film tipped close to $30 million). It’s part of a worrying trend in the world’s second largest box office market where (apart from Avatar) people avoided Hollywood dishes. Interesting way, Shazam 2 has an 8.8 viewership score on Maoyan while the first film ended with a 7.9. On Douban it had a higher score in frame than the original, but is now tied with it at 6.2 from critics.
Families flocked to some markets in greater numbers over the weekend, but that wasn’t enough to take the plunge. Mexico gave Shazam 2 a #1 debut at $4M (-32% compared to the first film). THE UNITED KINGDOM debuted at $3 million at No. 1, 39% below the previous bracket; Indonesia ($1.6M), Brazil ($1.6M) and Australia ($1.6M) all follow.
As Anthony noted of the light national debut, you can’t fault the Warner cast for doing their job: they protected Shazam 2keep him away from Avatar: The Way of the Water so that he can have access to premium screens. The IMAX launch cost $5.1 million worldwide, including $2.5 million overseas.
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