By LINDSEY BAHR
AP Film Screenwriter
“ Shazam! fury of the gods ” felt the fury of the market in its theatrical release this weekend. The superhero film from New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. opened to a disappointing $30.5 million in 4,071 theaters.
The “Shazam!” The sequel fell short of its modest expectations ($35 million), as well as the first film in the series ($53.5 million in April 2019), and earned a place at the lower end of comic book movie releases. DC’s modern movies, between “Birds of Prey” ($33 million in February 2020) and “The Suicide Squad” ($26.2 million in August 2021), both rated R.
Directed by David F. Sandberg, “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” brought back Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Adam Brody, and Djimon Hounsou, and added Helen Mirren, Rachel Zegler, and Lucy Liu. critics, many of whom found the first movie charming, were largely disappointed by this outing. It currently has a Rotten Tomatoes critical score of 53%.
Audiences were more positive about the sequel, earning it a B+ CinemaScore overall. The younger crowds were even more favorable.
“This movie was clearly lighter than we thought it would be,” said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. head of domestic distribution. . toward. We are hopeful that we can get a big multiple.”
“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” cost $125 million to produce, excluding marketing and promotional costs. Internationally, it grossed $35 million in 77 foreign markets, including China, bringing its total earnings to $65.5 million.
The DC store at Warner Bros. has undergone a major recalibration over the past few months, with new bosses in James Gunn and Peter Safran forging a path ahead for the DC Universe that will officially begin with a new “Superman” in 2025. “Shazam! 2” was one of several holdovers from the old regime, including “The Flash” in June and a new “Aquaman” in December.
“Part of our company’s total DC overhaul with Peter Safran and James Gunn is resetting it for the future,” Goldstein said. “It’s all about the future for us.”
For Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore, there is a silver lining to the fact that Warner Bros. and DC have “another No. 1 under their belt.”
“They are trying to readjust and realign the brand,” Dergarabedian said. “You don’t change the trajectory of a brand as big as DC without taking some time. This is a work in progress and this is one step on that journey.”
Second place went to “Scream IV” in its second weekend in theaters. The horror film, distributed by Paramount, has fallen 61% since its debut and grossed $17.5 million, bringing its domestic total to $76 million.
In its third weekend, “Creed III” grossed an additional $15.4 million to rank at No. 3. The film, directed by and starring Michael B. Jordan, has grossed $127.7 million in North America. “65” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” rounded out the top five with $5.8 million and $4.1 million, respectively.
Following its Oscar sweep last Sunday, A24 added over 1,000 screens for an encore.” Everything everywhere at once ”, where he earned an additional $1.2 million. “The Whale”, for which Brendan Fraser won for best actorit played on 509 screens and earned $145,230.
“What the public is enjoying right now is a diversity of content,” Dergarabedian said. “Overall, it’s shaping up to be a strong month with ‘ creed III ‘ and ‘ scream VI ‘ getting the best debuts in the franchise. We can see the same thing with ‘John Wick 4’.”
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at theaters in the US and Canada, according to Comscore, with Wednesday through Sunday in parentheses. The final national figures will be released on Monday. 1. “Shazam! The Fury of the Gods”, 30.5 million dollars. 2. “Scream VI,” $17.5 million. 3. “Creed III,” $15.4 million. 4. “65,” $5.8 million. 5. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” $4.1 million. 6. “Cocaine Bear,” $3.9 million. 7. “Jesus Revolution,” $3.5 million. 8. “Champions,” $3 million. 9. “Avatar: El Camino del Agua,” $1.9 million. 10. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” $1.5 million.
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Follow AP film writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr
