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When New Line/DC’s Shazam: Fury of the Gods hit tracking four weeks ago with a low $35M projection, it was shocking and not shocking to rival distributors. Shocking, because in a spring full of franchise tentpoles, many of which are seeing record opening domestic highs, how can a DC property like Shazam! not keep up with the pack? Not shocking in that — well, it’s a goofy, old Shazam!

Zachary Levi is responding to commentary surrounding the end credits scenes in Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

After that Superman fake-out in the first movie, director David F. Sandberg knew that if he was going to pull off another DC cameo in the sequel, it would have to be for real this time.And he pulled it off! Just as all hope seemed lost in the final act, Wonder Woman aka Diana Prince (Gal Gadot), appeared to save Shazam (Zachary Levi) and leave her favorite fanboy swooning.«We wanted to poke fun at the first movie where we had to obscure Superman’s face,» Sandberg told ET's Ash Crossan ahead of the film's release. «On this one, I actually didn't believe it was going to happen, because she was in the script from day one but… Gal couldn't be there [for some of the filming] so we had to do it with a stand in.

New Line’s DC sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods got off the ground at 3 p.m. Thursday and posted $3.4M in previews at 3,400 theaters.

$53.5 million opening weekend, beating projections of a $45 million launch. Heading into this weekend, “Shazam 2” projections have stayed at $35 to 38 million.While there is still a possibility that this $100 million superhero film could still pass the break-even point from such an opening weekend, the film would have to gather considerable word-of-mouth in the coming weeks to do so, particularly among families looking for a day at the movies as schools have spring break on a rolling basis through late March and early April.That word-of-mouth won’t get help from critics, who after praising the first “Shazam!” are very mixed on “Fury of the Gods” with a 55% Rotten Tomatoes score at time of writing.“Shazam!: Fury of the Gods” is one of four DC films that were greenlit by the superhero label’s previous leadership, with the others being “The Flash” in June, “Blue Beetle” in August, and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” on Christmas Day.

Jordan Moreau The “Fury of the Gods” may not be all that furious. Warner Bros. and DC’s “Shazam” sequel is taking flight with $3.4 million at the domestic box office in Thursday previews, behind the original movie’s preview haul in 2019. The sequel to Zachary Levi’s superhero movie will land with a smaller opening than its predecessor. The first “Shazam” movie had $5.9 million in Thursday previews before opening with $53.5 million in April 2019. It went on to gross $140 million domestically and $366 million globally. However, “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” is only expected to bring in $35 million to $40 million. Each of the “Shazam” movies cost $100 million to produce, but that’s a significant drop from the original.

DC superhero outing Shazam! Fury Of The Gods hits cinemas this month.Directed by David F. Sandberg (Lights Out), the sequel sees Billy Batson (Asher Angel) and his foster siblings transform into superheroes once again to take on a new threat in the Daughters of Atlas.Zachary Levi returns as the super-charged alter-ego of Billy, aka Shazam.

One of the things that made “Shazam!” so engaging, entertaining, and different was that it brought humor, an endearing irreverence, and an exploration and development of character that satisfied the initiated but also drew in the unfamiliar. It felt natural, full of vigor, and inspired.

The Shazamily is back, and on a much larger scale, but at its heart this superhero saga is still about family, and that’s the good thing here.

In the pantheon of DC superhero movies, David F. Sandberg’s “Shazam!” still stands out as something special: an emotional, character-driven film with good humor and an actual point to make that never let flashy spectacle get in the way of telling a wonderful, personal story.It would be nice to report that the sequel, “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” follows in that tradition.

Carla Renata For the first time in more than two years, the cast of “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” reunited for the red carpet premiere of their insanely action-packed sequel. Complete with an arcade of pinball machines, video games, cornhole, lightning bolt photo ops and a Skittles bouncy house, the pre-party was pure unadulterated joy. While director David F. Sandberg couldn’t join due to Covid, returning cast members Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Adam Brody, Ross Butler, Meagan Good, D.J. Cotona, Grace Caroline Currey, Faithe Herman, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Marta Milans, Cooper Andrews, Djimon Hounsou and newbies Rachel Zegler, Lucy Liu and Helen Mirren walked the rain-soaked carpet.

“Shazam: Fury of Gods” is anticipated to overtake “Scream VI” and rule the box office this week, but the total gross won’t shatter any records.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods finally lands in a rainy windswept Los Angeles tonight for its premiere at the Regency Village. But the franchise’s filmmaker David F. Sandberg won’t be in attendance after testing positive for Covid.

New Line’s Covid-delayed DC sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods finally will hit theaters this weekend in 77 offshore territories and the U.S. with a global outlook between $80M-$85M — $35M of that coming from domestic.

Superheroism is serious business, or at least that’s what the rubble-colored glower-fests clogging cineplexes these days would have us believe. But director David F.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” is expected to take the box office crown from “Scream VI” when the superhero sequel opens in theaters over the weekend. But don’t expect Billy Batson and company to break any DC franchise records. The “Shazam” sequel is aiming to collect a so-so $35 million to $40 million between Friday and Sunday, based on early estimates. Unless the Warner Bros. film seriously crushes expectations, inaugural ticket sales will fall significantly short of its pre-pandemic predecessor, 2019’s “Shazam.” The first film, which introduced the world to Zachary Levi’s comic book character who becomes a hero by saying the magic word “Shazam,” opened to $53.5 million and ended its box office run with $140 million domestically and $366 million globally.

DC superhero movie Shazam! Fury Of The Gods hits cinemas this month.Directed by David F. Sandberg (Lights Out), the sequel sees Billy Batson (Asher Angel) and his foster siblings transform into superheroes once again to take on a new threat in the Daughters Of Atlas.Zachary Levi returns as the super-charged alter-ego of Billy, aka Shazam.

pic.twitter.com/etaj9xveUoHe added in a follow-up tweet: “Seriously though I’m so grateful to have gotten to work with such an amazing cast and crew and I’m glad I got to at least join some of them for the European screenings. Have the best of times tonight!”More to Asher Angel returns as Billy, with Zachary Levi once again playing the kid-at-heart superhero alter ego Shazam, bestowed with the powers of six gods: the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles and the speed of Mercury.

Lucy Liu steps out in a gorgeous floral dress for the next premiere of Shazam! Fury of the Gods premiere in Toronto, Canada.

The stars of Shazam! 2 are hitting the red carpet in England!

wrote on Twitter. “Has some real surprises and a knowing sensibility that suit it well – plus some creative and exciting monster action.”Variety’s Courtney Howard also praised the “super solid, super fun & super smart blend of hilarity, heart & heroics” on Twitter.The sequel to New Line and DC Comics’ acclaimed 2019 film “Shazam!,” “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” will continue the story of teenage Billy Batson who, upon reciting the magic word “Shazam!” is struck by the Living Lightning of the gods and transformed into his adult superhero alter ego, Shazam.Asher Angel returns as Billy, with Zachary Levi once again playing the kid-at-heart superhero alter ego Shazam, bestowed with the powers of six gods: the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles and the speed of Mercury.

The stars of Shazam! Fury of the Gods are flipping on the lightning bolt!

The stars of Shazam! 2 are stepping out to promote their new movie!

Zachary Levi‘s Shazam flies back into theaters later this month in “Shazam! Fury Of The Gods” as the 12th installment of the DCEU. And the sequel sees Billy Baston and his foster siblings face off against the Daughters of Atlas to stop them from using a superweapon to destroy the world.

Zachary Levi is opening up about his DC future. ET's Ash Crossan spoke to the 42-year-old star, who addressed his franchise's future under DC's new leadership.James Gunn and Peter Safran were hired as the new co-chairs and co-CEOs of DC Films, a newly formed division at WB.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director David F. Sandberg, the director of “Shazam!” and its upcoming sequel “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” told comic book movie fans on Twitter that the new regime at DC Studios does not necessarily signal the end of his Zachary Levi-starring franchise. “Fury of the Gods” was developed and filmed before James Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios and overhauled the DC Universe. Does Levi’s Shazam have a place in the new universe? It will depend on how “Fury of the Gods” performs at the box office, the director says. “Hey David, I don’t feel like watching the movie because of the drama happening around DC studios,” a Twitter user wrote to the director. “It is just killing the vibe of the film. There is a lot of uncertainty about DC’s Future. Just give us an answer, whether Shazam will have a role in future DCU.”

When James Gunn announced the very ambitious slate of five films and five TV series that will kick off the new DCU, there were some notable absences. Namely, there was hardly anything (outside of “Peacemaker” and “The Suicide Squad” characters) crossing over from the previous universe to the new one.

Academy Award winner Helen Mirren has gotten candid about her experience on Shazam! Fury of the Gods, discussing everything from an on-set injury to her struggle to bear the weight of her costumes and her limited understanding of what the DC superhero pic is actually about.

Warner Bros/New Line/DC’s sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods hit early tracking Thursday and surprised many with a low projection of $35 million, which is under the first installment’s $53.5M opening in 2019.

EXCLUSIVE: Alexandra Shipp is set to join the cast of Sony’s untitled R-rated comedy starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell. Will Gluck is directing.

So, James Gunn and Peter Safran have taken over the DC Universe with DC Studios. So far, that’s meant Henry Cavill out as Superman, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman fate is unclear (though director Patty Jenkins threequel was rejected), Jason Momoa with vague but good news about his future, and everyone else with a big fat TBD.

EXCLUSIVE: A new installment of Tron is coming back online. The Dish hears that Disney is in early negotiations to set Joachim Rønning to direct Jared Leto in Tron: Ares. The film is crewing up, eyeing an August start date in Vancouver.

Altitude has boarded sales on the Village Roadshow Pictures thriller The Prize, starring Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty) and Haley Bennett (Till). The London-based company will present the project to buyers at AFM this week, with additional support and review from Village Roadshow Pictures’ international sales team. 

Liza Foreman CANNES  — TV series “Agatha Christie’s Hjerson” has been picked up by streamer Topic for North America and by the Australian channel SBS, ZDF Studios announced Tuesday at Cannes Mipcom trade fair.  “Agatha Christie’s Hjerson” is being sold as both a 45-minute series and four feature-length stories.  Topic has taken exclusive rights for the U.S. and Canada. SBS, a multicultural Australian broadcaster, has also closed an exclusive deal for the drama series. Additionally, ZDF Studios has licensed the program to VOD platforms  Google Play, iTunes, Amazon, Deutsche Telekom and Huawei for German speaking territories, as well as Germany’s public broadcaster, ZDF. 

EXCLUSIVE: Madeleine George, playwright and writer on Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, has been newly selected as the 2021 recipient of the Hermitage Major Theater Award, a national jury-selected prize that offers one of the largest non-profit theater commissions in the country.

EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has learned that Warner Bros. is making a slew of release date changes next year. First of all, James Wan’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom needs more time in post, so it’s moving from March 17, 2023 to Dec. 25, 2023.