DC: Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ box office failure doesn’t tell the full story
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is the latest victim of not banking at the box office, but it doesn’t tell the full story of a fun film.
A disappointing opening weekend for Shazam! Fury of the Gods has the future of the franchise in doubt, despite the post-credit scene. Rumors of Dwayne Johnson’s involvement in what went down (or, more appropriately, what didn’t) between Shazam and Black Adam franchises has sparked division online. Still, the dark superhero fantasy follows the disappointing box office of The Rock’s Black Adam. Neither film lived up to the financial expectations.
Nevertheless, the lack of box office success is not indicative of what the movies had to offer. Fury of the Gods was more plot-driven than its predecessor, opting to focus on the dangers ahead as opposed to the characters. Still, it gave us glimpses into the internal struggles that exist within the family and expanded the universe by dropping hints that we could see the Shazam Family, the Wizard, and other gods in future films. Fans enjoyed a funny action-packed, fantasy superhero film that created a new star in Mary Marvel.
With Black Adam, we saw an origin story that differed from the comics, but it still gave fans a fantastic look at an anti-hero who struggled to find a place in the new world. It was the typical Dwayne Johnson movie, albeit with him playing a more serious role. Still, it was full of action with an excellent cast that nailed their performances. More importantly, the introduction of the Justice Society of America gave fans hope for more stories to come in other DC Films and TV. Black Adam dabbled with historical fantasy and explored the mindset of the vengeful super-powered man who knows no limits. The JSA, led by Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) was the perfect foil character, which made for a great dynamic in the film.
The lack of box office success with DC Films isn’t exclusive to Shazam and Black Adam. Comic book movie fans have seen this problem with other comic book movies but more than a few DC Films suffered from a lack of financial success in recent memory.