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“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” thunders to a No. 1 opening at the box office, though the DC Comics adaptation is expected to fly less than its predecessor.
“Fury of the Gods” grossed $11.7 million in first-day ticket sales, including $3.4 million in Thursday previews. That’s nearly half of the $20.3 million it made on its first day of release in 2019, with $53 million. “Fury of the Gods” has a production budget of $125 million, $25 million more than its predecessor.
Opening in 4,071 theaters, the superhero sequel will struggle to reach a $30 million debut. With DC Studios under the new leadership of Peter Safran and James Gunn, “Shazam! 2” represents somewhat of a relic from a past reign in the comic book banner. A movie like “The Flash” predates Safran and Gunn’s tenure, a pair of CEOs who have often expressed their confidence in the quality of an upcoming Ezra Miller film. “Shazam!” The sequel was pretty quiet.
The responses are also a step down from the rave reviews that met the original. “Fury of the Gods” currently holds a 26% approval rating from top critics on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. The film received a “B+” rating from research firm CinemaScore, indicating general acceptance among first-round ticket buyers, but that was also a significant drop from the first film’s “A” grade.
Starring Zachary Levi, “Shazam! “Fury of the Gods” sees Billy Batson (Asher Angel) and his adopted siblings use their transformative powers against the Daughters of Atlas, who threaten to destroy the world. Rachel Zeckler, Adam Brody, Lucy Liu and Helen Mirren round out the film’s cast. David F. Sandberg directs. returns
“Scream VI” slipped to second place in its sophomore outing, showing a 60% drop from its impressive $44 million debut. Paramount and Spyglass Media’s self-labeled slasher “Requel” earned $18 million this weekend, pushing its domestic total to a substantial $76.5 million. “Scream VI” surpasses its predecessor, 2022, which ended its theatrical run with $81 million in North America.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s “Creed III” is headed for bronze, with $15.8 million in its third week of release. Michael B. Jordan’s boxing drama has performed remarkably well since its $58 million debut, rising to sequels in “Rocky” and “Creed.” The domestic gross will cross $125 million through Sunday.
Columbia Pictures’ “65” is fourth, projecting $5.5 million in its second weekend of release. Sony’s sci-fi thriller, which sees Adam Driver star as an astronaut stranded on a prehistoric Earth, has a domestic total of less than $22 million after the weekend.
Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania” rounded out the top five Friday with $1.1 million. Now in its fifth weekend of release, the Disney release has crossed the $200 million mark at the domestic box office. It remains to be seen if the film can match the $216 million its predecessor made in 2018 in North America.
Meanwhile, “Everything Everywhere All At Ones” extended its 52nd weekend of release as its best picture win at the Academy Awards last Sunday extended. Now playing in 1,633 theaters, the A24 comedy added $1.1 million in the three-day frame, taking its domestic total to $75.4 million.
