The studios hoped this would be another superhero win, but Shazam underperformed at the box office opening weekend. Shazam: Fury of the Gods was an anticipated release from Warner Bros. and DC Comics, and it was clear the film was slated for blockbuster appeal. The newest Shazam‘s budget was $110 million, with a reported additional $100 million spent on marketing. However, it only pulled in just over $30 million at the box office. Many critics are pointing the finger at Dwayne Johnson.
Johnson starred as Black Adam in his separate film, and following that release, the former wrestling star seemed uninterested in jumping back into the superhero arena. He refused to reprise Black Adam for Shazam, a move that left many fans irked. Additionally, Black Adam and Shazam share similarities that are hard to dismiss, and some believe that it would have been a good look. Shazam‘s director David F. Sandberg took to Twitter to share a few thoughts, and he, too, is washing his hands of the superhero circuit.
“Shazam” Director Is Stressed By Superhero Conversations
“On Rotten Tomatoes I just got my lowest critic score and my highest audience score on the same film 
,” he wrote.” I wasn’t expecting a repeat of the first movie critically but I was still a little surprised because I think it’s a good film. Oh well. As I’ve been saying for a while now I’m very eager to go back to horror (as well as trying some new things). After six years of Shazam I’m definitely done with superheroes for now.”
“Just to be clear, I don’t regret even for a second making the Shazam movies,” he added. “I’ve learned so much and gotten to work with some truly amazing people. Will forever be grateful that I got to direct two of these! They’ve been very challenging but valuable experiences. One thing I’ve really been looking forward to is disconnecting from the superhero discourse online. A lot of that stresses me out so much and it will be nice not having to think about that anymore.”
Dwayne Johnson Gets Blamed
Conversations regarding whether or not Shazam would have pulled in more significant numbers if Johnson was attached thrive. The film wasn’t without heavy hitters: Zachary Levi, Lucy Liu, Meagan Good, Adam Brody, Asher Angel, Rachel Zegler, and more starred in the flick. Some have called Johnson selfish for his decision, while others empathized due to the criticism over Black Adam.
However, others have noted that Shazam isn’t an intimate fixture in the universe. While the studios want to press forward with the character in future films, they must rope in the storyline to make sense to their core audience. Did you see Shazam: Fury of the Gods? Check out the trailer above.
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