Credit: Screenshot, 'Shazaam', DC FilmsCan DC bounce back? Maybe. Can this director?
Shazam! (2019) really came out of left field. After a long streak of dark and dramatic films from Warner Bros. and DC, it was a breath of fresh air. DC films could be fun and funny! Perhaps the surprise was one of the reasons the film did so well, but regardless, it was a well-made movie. Though anticipation was high for Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), the box office hasn’t reflected that anticipation well recently, and the director of the film has now spoken out.
Related: Shazam’s Zachary Levi Calls Toxic DC Fans “Very Powerless People”
Fury of the Gods becomes the second superhero film this year to be panned by critics. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) actually matches the reception that the new DC Universe film got, with a dismally low critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes but a stellar audience rating. Unfortunately for Shazam!, the area in which the two films differ is one of the most important for studios. While Quantumania had a strong opening weekend and a sharp taper the following week, Fury of the Gods started off with less than half the box office take of its Marvel peer.
Even though they had little to do with it, this being the first film released under James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Studios does not bode well for the future of the franchise. Like Quantumania, this film could have been the first step towards regaining the magic, but now may be a cause for the studio to pivot. The negative critical response has certainly given the director cause for pause, and he has finally responded to the poor reception.
In a series of tweets reported by The Direct, director David F. Sandberg, who also directed the first film, expressed not only disappointment but surprise at the film’s reception:
“On Rotten Tomatoes I just got my lowest critic score and my highest audience score on the same film I wasn’t expecting a repeat of the first movie critically but I was still a little surprised because I think it’s a good film. Oh well.”
A subsequent tweet heralded a sad future for not only the director but for DC Studios, Zachary Levi, and Shazam!
“As I’ve been saying for a while now I’m very eager to go back to horror (as well as trying some new things). After six years of Shazam I’m definitely done with superheroes for now.”
Though writing and acting are ultimately what audiences see, any director will leave an indelible mark on a film. If Shazam! survives and is carried forward by DC, it will never be the same with a different director. That doesn’t mean it will be better or worse; it will just be a different franchise altogether if, that is, it survives. Regardless, The Direct points out that Sandberg has no regrets about the two films and still feels that they were “challenging but valuable” and is excited to leave behind the superhero discourse.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is currently in theaters, and stars Zachary Levi/Angel as Billy Batson/Shazam, Jack Dylan Grazer/Adam Brody as Freddy Freeman, Rachel Zegler as Anthea, Helen Mirren as Hespera, and Lucy Liu as Kalypso. Fury of the Gods follows the Shazam family as they face a new threat in the daughters of Atlas, whose new weapon threatens to destroy the world.
What do you think about this response? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!