Its been several months since Shazam! Fury of the Gods flopped at the box office, and star Zachary Levi is still somewhat perplexed by the comic book sequels reception. Levi appeared on a new episode of The FilmUp Podcast (via IGN) and lamented over people being so insanely unkind to his second Shazam movie. Critics dismissed the movie (it holds a 49% on Rotten Tomatoes) and it only grossed $57 million at the domestic box office. Worldwide, Fury of the Gods didnt even crack $160 million.
I dont know what the future holds for it all because, unfortunately, the second movie was not as well received, Levi said. The audience score is still quite good, but the critics score was very oddly and perplexingly low, and people were insanely unkind.
Ive been a part of things, and as much as I wish they were good, I know theyre okay, he added. I know that they miss a lot. And Im not saying Shazam! Fury of the Gods is some perfect, Orson Welles-like masterpiece, but its a good darn movie.
Immediately after Fury of the Gods bombed at the box office, Levi took to Twitter to cite the films marketing as a problem. This is a perfect family movie, and yet a lot of families arent aware of that. Which is just a shame, he wrote.
I think even just the world, from the first movie to the second movie, the world has shifted so much, Levi added on The FilmUp Podcast. Social media has shifted so much. Hate, online hate and haters and trolls, and factions and all that has just gotten more galvanized in its toxicity. I think there are people who genuinely, unfortunately, want to destroy certain projects because they dont like them, or they dont like me, or they dont like other people involved in them or whatever.
With the DC Universe now being overhauled by James Gunn and Peter Safran, Levi says he has no idea what the future has in store for his Shazam. The superhero was not included in the duos first slate announcement for the new DC Universe, which kicks off with 2025s Superman: Legacy.
I have no idea where we go from here, Levi said. I just hope that or believe that history will show it will be one of those things that people will go back, people will watch Fury of the Gods on home streaming or on a plane or whatever, and it will be this movie that they heard so much shit about and then they will be like, Well, wait a minute.'
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is available to stream on Max.