Shazam! Fury of the Gods is tracking for a middling $35-40 million debut

DC will need to crank the PR machine into overdrive if they want Shazam! Fury of the Gods to perform heroically at the box office. According to the first round of projections, New Line Cinema‘s superhero sequel is tracking for a low-end domestic debut of $35 million to $40 million. Meanwhile, optimistic analysts think the film will bank as much as the first film, which pulled around $53.5 million in North America.

It’s worth noting the $35 million prediction comes from NRG, Hollywood’s leading research firm. They know a thing or two about reading tea leaves for blockbuster debuts. Still, they need to be corrected from time to time. There’s a chance Shazam! Fury of the Gods will overperform, but I’m not holding my breath.

There are a few factors when looking for reasons Shazam 2 could come in at a low number. Despite most of the world moving on from Covid, the masked era has had lasting effects on the box office. While people showed up in droves for films like Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, not every blockbuster spectacle is a guaranteed hit. At the end of January, James Gunn announced plans for DC’s “Gods and Monsters,” a reboot of the DCU spinning out of The Flash. While the news was exciting, sharing the slate of upcoming projects hindered the momentum of the studio’s remaining lineup. With the future of the DCU uncertain, and stakes being lower than ever, the family-oriented Shazam! Fury of the Gods might not attract hardcore fans.

Here’s the official synopsis for Shazam! Fury of the Gods:

Bestowed with the powers of the gods, Billy Batson and his fellow foster kids are still learning how to juggle teenage life with having adult Super Hero alter-egos. But when the Daughters of Atlas, a vengeful trio of ancient gods, arrive on Earth in search of the magic stolen from them long ago, Billy—aka Shazam—and his family are thrust into a battle for their superpowers, their lives, and the fate of their world.

The superhero family also makes their return. The lineup includes Asher Angel as Billy Batson. Jack Dylan Grazer/Adam Brody as Freddy Freeman; Ian Chen/Ross Butler as Eugene Choi; Faithe Herman/Meagan Good as Darla Dudley; Jovan Armand/D.J. Cotrona as Pedro Pena; and Grace Caroline Currey as Mary Bromfield. Marta Milans and Cooper Andrews also return as Rosa and Victor Vásquez, the foster parents of Billy and his siblings.

Do you plan to see Shazam! Fury of the Gods in theaters during the film’s opening weekend? Feel free to let us know in the comments section.