Shazam! Fury of the Gods, the latest installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), is off to a rough start at the box office. Early reports indicate that the film has garnered the lowest domestic Thursday debut gross in the franchise’s history, earning only $3.4 million in Thursday previews. This puts it dead-last among all DCEU films in terms of box office performance.
Comparing Fury of the Gods’ Thursday gross to other DCEU films shows that it earned just over one-tenth of the biggest DCEU Thursday gross (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice at $27.7 million), and one-third of the original Shazam! (2019). The full list of DCEU Thursday preview domestic gross numbers can be seen below:
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) – $27.7M
- Man of Steel (2013) – $21.1M
- Suicide Squad (2016) – $20.5M
- Aquaman (2018) – $13.7M
- Justice League (2017) – $13M
- Wonder Woman (2017) – $11M
- Shazam! (2019) – $9.2M
- Black Adam (2022) – $7.6M
- The Suicide Squad (2021) – $4.1M
- Birds of Prey (2020) – $4M
- Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) – $3.4M
It should be noted that this list does not include Wonder Woman 1984, as the film did not have Thursday screenings.
Implications For Shazam’s Future
The poor box office performance of Shazam! Fury of the Gods does not bode well for the future of the character in the DCEU. Zachary Levi, who plays the titular character, has said that “the success of the second movie will determine a lot” for his future with the franchise. If these numbers continue to hold, it is likely that audiences have seen the last of Levi’s Shazam.
The film’s Rotten Tomatoes score also does not inspire confidence. It is currently sitting at “Rotten,” and experts predict that this dismal return so far is only the beginning. Many expected the Shazam! sequel to pull in one of the worst openings in DC history.
While the film did have a relatively low budget when compared to other comic book films, it is still unclear if it will break even. It does not appear to have the legs that Warner Bros. may have hoped for when they greenlit Fury of the Gods.
