James Gunn has constantly upset DC fans since he took over as the co-CEO of DC Studios earlier in 2022. Considering his prior work in both Marvel and DC, fans expected that he would continue to expand the universe Zack Snyder started with the 2013 film Man of Steel. However, it all turned out to be a false hope as soon after taking over the studio, Gunn announced his plans to reboot the franchise.
James Gunn
The fan-favorite Superman, Henry Cavill, also announced his departure from the DCU, which is set to go through a reboot in the upcoming film The Flash. However, things do not seem to be going well, as the first DC film released after Gunn’s announcement seemed to be suffering at the box office. And Warner Bros reportedly have blamed the co-CEO’s reboot plan for its failure.
James Gunn’s DCU Reboot Blamed For Shazam 2’s Failure
Shazam! Fury of the Gods was the first film to be released under DC’s banner this year. While the sequel was expected to kick start the DCU films, it miserably failed at the box office with a collection of only $132 million at the box office. There have been many claims made about why the film fell flat at the box office.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
However, Warner Bros. Discovery appears to believe that James Gunn and Peter Safran’s reboot could also be partially blamed for its failure. According to The Wrap, Fury of the Gods was expected to have a $35 to $38 million domestic opening, already much lower than the first film’s opening, which was recorded to be $53.4 million.
The Wrap’s sources have claimed that Warner Bros believes that the co-CEO reboot plan led the audience to lose interest in the Shazam sequel, which had an adverse effect on the film’s box office performance.
James Gunn
The sequel grossed only $30.5 million domestic box office opening and $65.5 million worldwide. The estimated box office collection of the Shazam 2 is estimated to be $132 million against a budget of $110 to $125 million and is deemed a box office bomb.
Shazam 2 Suffered Worse DCEU Opening Performance
Zachary Levi’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods has suffered one of the worst DCEU openings so far. The sequel reportedly made $3.4 million in its Thursday screenings, taking the eleventh and the last place among the DCEU films.
It even failed to cross the 2020 DC film, Birds of Prey, which made $4 million at its Thursday openings, despite being released amid the global pandemic. Many claimed that Levi’s performance has also been a reason for the film’s failure.
Zachary Levi as Shazam
Snyderverse fans have been against James Gunn’s plans to reboot the DCU and introduce new actors and new DC characters. And the reboot plan does seem to have a role in the sequel’s failure, as fans are unaware if the character or the story has any significance in the new DCU.
Considering the uncertainty following the wizardry superhero, many may have simply decided to skip going to theatres and wait for its HBO Max premiere.
