A $53 Million Box-Office Haul for Shazam! Is DCs Biggest Breakthrough Yet
As Marvel prepares to tie a ribbon around its decade-long superhero franchise with Avengers: Endgame..
As Marvel prepares to tie a ribbon around its decade-long superhero franchise with Avengers: Endgame, comic rivals DC and Warner Bros. have finally cracked the code on their own silver screen success. A $53 million opening weekend for Shazam! is the surest sign yet that lighter, standalone films are a hit with fans and critics alike.
The David F. Sandberg-directed film took the no. 1 slot at the North American box office over the weekend, pulling in $53.5 million, atop an earlier $3.33 million for Fandango screenings in March. As The Wrap points out, that overall $56.7 million haul is about on par with the debuts of similarly untested Marvel properties like Ant-Man, though Shazam! was made with a comparably modest $90-100 million budget—close to 40 percent less than the average superhero movie.
Following the $1 billion success of James Wans Aquaman and earlier critical praise for Patty Jenkins Wonder Woman, DC movies have clearly found a foothold with less brooding filmmakers. “We really want these movies to stand on their own, with filmmakers best suited to the characters,” said Warner Bros. Group Pictures chairman Toby Emmerich to The New York Times. “Were all feeling deservedly really good.”
Atop a sequel and likely spinoff for Aquaman, the franchises next releases include Todd PhillipsRead More – Source
