"Shazam! Fury of the Gods" opened to a disappointing $30 million domestically, nearly $23 million less than its 2019 predecessor, per The Numbers. The sequel follows Shazam! (Zachary Levi) as he and his super-powered family deal with the Daughters of Atlas (Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, Rachel Zegler), who are hell-bent on finding an ancient relic, which could destroy the world. The bigger and more expansive sequel didn't necessarily lead to solid critical results. The film received generally mixed reviews from critics, with audiences giving the superhero sequel a B+ CinemaScore rating.
Following the film's mixed reviews and poor showing at the box office, director David F. Sandberg called out the negativity and toxic discourse that plagued his film. The director also confirmed in a tweet that he would be stepping away from the world of superheroes, hoping to return to his horror roots. While "Fury of the Gods" certainly wasn't the success that DC was hoping for, the film exiting theaters sooner than expected does have a silver lining. With the film soon available to stream at home, audiences will be able to enjoy Sandberg's latest in comfort, away from distractions for one low-price.
Recent years have seen theatrical windows continue to shrink. Recent hits like "M3GAN" and "Cocaine Bear," both of which grossed over $55 million domestically, were available for purchase on VOD weeks after their release. Hopefully, with its home video release, "Fury of the Gods" finds its fair share of fans. Looper critic Alistair Ryder was a fan of the film, calling it "an unexpected breath of fresh air" in a 7/10 review.
