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“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” roars to the top of the box office, although the DC Comics adaptation is expected to fly lower than its predecessor.
“Fury of the Gods” brought in $11.7 million in opening-day ticket sales, including $3.4 million in Thursday previews. That’s nearly half the $20.3 million the 2019 original earned on its first day of release, en route to a $53 million bow. “Fury of the Gods” has a production budget of $125 million, which is $25 million more than its predecessor.
Opening in 4,071 theaters, the superhero sequel will likely struggle to reach a $30 million debut. Under the leadership of Peter Safran and James Gunn, who recently struck with DC Studios, “Shazam! 2” represents something of a vestige of a past regime in the comic book banner. Although “The Flash” movie was also planned before Safran and Gunn’s tenures, the executive pair have often declared their belief that Ezra Miller will about the quality of the film.Discuss the sequel to “Shazam!” has been much quieter.
The responses are also a step down from the raving praise that greeted the original. “Fury of the Gods” currently holds a 26% approval rating from top critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The film received a B+ rating from research firm Cinema Score, indicating general approval among first-run ticket buyers, but even that is a significant step down from the first film’s A grade.
Starring Zachary Levi, Shazam! Fury of the Gods” sees Billy Batson (Asher Angel) and his foster siblings use their transforming powers to take on the Daughters of Atlas, who threaten to destroy the world. Rachel Zegler, Adam Brody, Lucy Liu and Helen Mirren complete the film’s cast. David F. Sandberg returns as director.
“Scream VI” appears to be slipping to second place in its second run, marking a 60 percent drop from its impressive $44 million debut. Paramount and Spyglass Media’s own-brand slasher “requel” looks set to earn $18 million this weekend, bringing its domestic total to a remarkable $76.5 million. “Scream VI” continues to outperform its predecessor in 2022, which ended its theatrical run with $81 million in North America.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s “Creed III” is on track for bronze, with a projected gross of $15.8 million in its third week of release. The Michael B. Jordan boxing drama has held up very well since its $58 million debut, besting the streak of “Rocky” and “Creed.” The domestic gross is over $125 million through Sunday.
Columbia Pictures’ “65” is in fourth place with a projected $5.5 million in its second week of release. Sony’s sci-fi thriller, which stars Adam Driver as an astronaut on prehistoric Earth, takes its domestic gross to $22 million after the weekend.
Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” has added $1.1 million to the top five on Friday. Now in its fifth week of release, Disney’s release has crossed the $200 million mark at the domestic box office. It remains to be seen if the film can match its 2018 predecessor’s haul of $216 million in North America.
Meanwhile, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” extended its 52nd weekend of release to a victory lap after winning best picture at the Academy Awards last Sunday. Now playing in 1,633 venues, the A24 comedy looks set to bring in $1.1 million over three days, bringing its domestic gross to $75.4 million.