It seems as though Warner Bros has already given up on “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” in theaters. Now it’s hoping for a resurgence on VOD. Fat chance.
The film is now available on digital, less than a month after its theatrical release. It's a very early streaming date for ‘Shazam 2’, which had a disastrous box-office after its release on March 17.
The sequel had a whopping 69% drop in its second weekend of release, it then only made $4 million the following weekend. Star Zachary Levi has also been having a semi-serious meltdown on social media.
I reported last week that the film stands to lose close to $150 million when all is said done. I’m sure the trades will have their own estimates in the coming weeks and I’ll be proven right about this figure. Maybe it’s even higher, as some are telling me.
Meanwhile, the film’s director David F. Sandberg is now saying he's "definitely done with superheroes." People are jumping off the sinking ship. DC Studios boss James Gunn has also not included ‘Shazam’ in his plans for a relaunch of the DCEU.
What happened, exactly? We’re not entirely sure. Maybe the lack of excitement for a ‘Shazam’ film combined with the superhero genre starting to dry up with audiences. That’s what I would bet.
I don’t necessarily know for sure if the comic book movie is dying, but Shazam sure as hell is. And, with the recent arrest of Jonathan Majors last night, things aren’t looking any better for Marvel and the MCU. There are significant cracks showing.