Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ ideal box office run would surpass the first movie’s results – but is it possible? The latest entry in the DCEU, Shazam! Fury of the Gods releases at a time of changes for the DC brand. With DC Studios’ new DC Universe starting in 2025 with Superman: Legacy, 2023 could be a closing chapter for the original DCEU franchise. This puts a huge question mark on the box office performances of not only Fury of the Gods but the entire DC 2023 movie slate.
After receiving his powers from the Shazam wizard and now sharing them with the DCEU’s Shazam Family, Billy Batson is back on the big screen with Fury of the Gods. The Shazam! sequel is not continuing the Mr. Mind tease from Shazam!’s post-credits, nor is it expected to feature Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam. Here’s what Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ box office run is shaping up to be.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ Budget Was Reportedly $125 Million
According to Rolling Stone, Shazam! Fury of the Gods had a $125 million budget. As a comparison, the first Shazam! had an estimated budget of $90 million, which was relatively low compared to giant superhero blockbusters like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice or Justice League, both of which cost more than $200 million to be made. As a relatively self-contained superhero adventure with lower stakes compared to team-up films like Batman v Superman or Justice League, it made sense for Shazam! and its sequel to have a smaller budget. Still, the fact that Fury of the Gods cost more than Shazam! is not surprising.
Sequels usually get a bigger budget compared to the original, especially if the first movie did well at the box office. Shazam! was a coming-of-age story combined with a superhero origin story, meaning that the main set pieces and the villain reveals were left for the third act. Shazam! Fury of the Gods, on the other hand, appears to be jumping right into the action as the Shazam! sequel features three villains – the Daughters of Atlas – and follows a fully formed Shazam Family of superheroes. That difference in scale between Shazam! and the DC sequel is translated by the latter’s bigger budget.
How Much Shazam! Fury of the Gods Needs For Box Office Success
Reported budgets usually do not consider marketing costs. Therefore, for a movie to at least break even, making its original budget back only is not enough – it has to make at least 2.5 times that amount. Applying the 2.5 multiplier to Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ reported budget of $125 million, the upcoming DC movie has to make at least $312.5 million to break even. Considering that the first Shazam! made $366 million on a $100 million budget (via The Hollywood Reporter), which is more than 3.5 times the original budget, Fury of the Gods simply breaking even would leave it behind its predecessor.
With a bigger budget than Shazam!, Fury of the Gods should, in theory, make more than its predecessor. Applying Shazam!’s numbers to the upcoming DC movie’s budget would mean a $450 million box office run, which would be great for Fury of the Gods. However, something between Shazam!’s $366 million and an ideal $450 million would be a solid result that would make Shazam! Fury of the Gods a box office success. Black Adam, based on Shazam’s enemy, made $393 million at the box office with a much bigger budget than Shazam! Fury of the Gods, meaning that Black Adam numbers would be good news for the Shazam! sequel.
How Much Will Shazam! Fury of the Gods Make At The Box Office
The box office scenario for DC’s newest movie Shazam! Fury of the Gods is different from when the first Shazam! was released. In addition to the pandemic, which reduced the ceiling for box office runs – excluding hits like Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar 2 – Shazam! Fury of the Gods does not have the “new superhero” effect that the first Shazam! had. The DC movie brand is also going through significant changes after a difficult couple of years in which The Batman was the only major DC theatrical hit. As if this was not enough, a new DC Universe is being created, with Shazam’s future up in the air.
According to projections (via The Hollywood Reporter), Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ domestic opening weekend could fall in the $35-$40 million range. Given that the first Shazam! opened with $53 million domestically, the current Shazam! Fury of the Gods box office projections are worrying. In a scenario where the new DC Universe movie opens with $40 million and has similar legs to Shazam!, Fury of the Gods could end its run by claiming $276 million at the box office. Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ early reactions are positive, though, meaning that the sequel could still at least match the original’s box office.