DC: Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ box office failure doesn’t tell the full story

Box office success doesn’t mean the movies are good

Now, let’s take a step back and consider why the lack of box office success for these movies doesn’t tell the full story. Movies like Batman vs Superman and Justice League made a ton of money at the box office, but they were nowhere near the quality of films like The Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey. Batman vs Superman was a bloated mess that failed to capture the essence of what makes those characters so compelling. Justice League was a mess of a movie that suffered from a troubled production and failed to deliver on its promise. These movies made money because of the popularity of the characters and the early hope that the DCEU would deliver, not because they were great movies.

So, why do movies like The Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey struggle at the box office? There are a few factors at play. For one, these movies have R ratings, which limits their potential audience. Additionally, they’re not as well-known as some of the other DC characters, which means they don’t have the same built-in audience, making it harder for these movies to succeed.

With Shazam 2 and Black Adam, there’s a lot of competition at the box office, streaming services, and maybe some comic book movie fatigue (particularly as the quality of more recent releases hasn’t been as great), and lack of trust with DC Films – especially due to the lack of direction since the DCEU is essentially going to be reset after The Flash, potentially rendering these recent releases as meaningless.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is now in theaters. You can watch Black Adam, Birds of Prey, and The Suicide Squad on HBO Max.

Do you think DC’s reset with The Flash could help the DC Universe bounce back from its recent box office struggles? Let us know in the comments below.