Seven films in, the DC Extended Universe is finally flying with some wind behind its back. The well-reviewed, relatively modestly budgeted 鈥淪hazam!鈥� debuted with $53.5 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, handing DC its latest critical and box-office success.
Though one of the oldest characters in DC鈥檚 superhero stable, 鈥淪hazam!鈥� doesn鈥檛 boast the name-recognition of Batman or Superman. But by scaling back to a $100 million budget and going for the lighter, comic tone, 鈥淪hazam!鈥� steadily built up its word of mouth with stellar reviews. Warner Bros. also showed the film nationwide two weeks before opening, where it made $3 million in advance screenings.
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鈥淪hazam!鈥� came out well ahead of the weekend鈥檚 other top draw, 鈥淧et Sematary.鈥� Paramount Pictures鈥� remake of the original 1989 Stephen King adaptation opened in a distant second with $25 million. It鈥檚 a solid start for 鈥淧et Sematary,鈥� though far from the haul that the last big-screen adaptation of King鈥檚 conjured up: 鈥淚t鈥� opened with $123.4 million in 2017.
Last week鈥檚 top film, 鈥淒umbo,鈥� slid steeply in its second week. Landing in third, the Disney live-action remake dropped 60% with $18.2 million.
Pitched as 鈥溾�楤ig鈥� meets Superman,鈥欌�� 鈥淪hazam!鈥� stars Asher Angel as Billy Batson, a teenage foster kid who transforms into an adult superhero (played by Zachary Levi).
Jeff Goldstein, distribution chief at Warner Bros., said the studio originally forecast a $40 million opening. 鈥淭hat was the right number for us,鈥� Goldstein said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we needed to make money on it.鈥�
But expectations grew based on reviews (91% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and audience reaction (an 鈥淎鈥� Cinemascore). The PG-13-rated film attracted an especially young crowd; 45% were under 25.
The result further validated DC鈥檚 pivot following the disappointments of Zack Snyder鈥檚 鈥淏atman v Superman鈥� and David Ayer鈥檚 鈥淪uicide Squad.鈥� Warner Bros. has since steered its comic book adaptions in a different direction, leaning more on stand-alone entries less predicated on the overall 鈥渦niverse鈥� and more fluctuating in tone. Following 鈥淲onder Woman鈥� and 鈥淎quaman,鈥� 鈥漇hazam!鈥� makes it three in a row for DC superhero standalones.
Earlier in the week, Warner Bros. also teased the DC release 鈥淛oker,鈥� with Joaquin Phoenix, at CinemaCon. An even smaller-budgeted origin story with a similarly unique, albeit much darker, tone; it was one of the most talked-about movies at the Las Vegas event.
鈥溾�榃onder Woman鈥� was really the start of changing the ship,鈥� Goldstein said. 鈥淲hen you look at each of these properties, they鈥檙e all very different. Their approach is different. Their tone is different. But here鈥檚 the commonality: All good movies, all well done. I think that鈥檚 what you鈥檒l see out of DC is very specific approaches for that property.鈥�
Overseas, 鈥淪hazam!鈥� grossed $102 million in 79 markets, including $30.9 million in China.
鈥淒C has really found its groove,鈥� said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e really breaking out each character. Shazam and the Joker could not be two more different characters within the DC Universe. But I think that diversity of content is going to serve them well.鈥�
Dergarabedian noted the two most dominant genres in movies right now 鈥� superheroes and horror 鈥� swamped theatres over the weekend, taking up four of the top five spots at the box office. The stiff competition in similar-styled holdovers could have slightly depressed results for both 鈥淪hazam!鈥� and 鈥淧et Sematary.鈥� But right now, there鈥檚 scant room on the calendar between major comic book films and horror releases.
In fourth was Jordan Peele鈥檚 horror thriller 鈥淯s,鈥� which added $13.8 million in its third week. Its cumulative global total stands at $216.6 million.
Marvel鈥檚 Brie Larson-led 鈥淐aptain Marvel,鈥� which recently crossed $1 billion in worldwide ticket sales, took in $12.7 million domestically in its fifth weekend. Captain Marvel, ironically, was Shazam鈥檚 original name when the character was first crafted, as a Superman knockoff, in 1939. He was relaunched in 1973 as Shazam after decades of lawsuits and the debut of Marvel鈥檚 own Captain Marvel.
The weekend鈥檚 other wide-release newcomer was STX Entertainment鈥檚 鈥淏est of Enemies,鈥� starring Taraji P. Henson as a civil rights activist and Sam Rockwell as a Ku Klux Klan leader. It opened with $4.5 million.
In limited release, Claire Denis鈥� 鈥淗igh Life,鈥� starring Robert Pattinson, opened with about $100,000 in four theatres for A24.
Neon鈥檚 Aretha Franklin documentary, 鈥淎mazing Grace,鈥� debuted with $96,000 in eight locations. The film, shot over two days at the New Bethel Baptist Church in the Watts section of Los Angeles in 1972, was lost for decades in part because its director, Sydney Pollack, failed to slate the images, leaving them not synced with the audio. Before her death last August, Franklin sued several times to prevent its release.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Comscore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included.
1. 鈥淪hazam!鈥� $53.4 million ($102 million international).
2. 鈥淧et Sematary,鈥� $25 million ($17.3 million international).
3. 鈥淒umbo,鈥� $18.2 million ($39.6 million international).
4. 鈥淯s,鈥� $13.8 million ($10.3 million international).
5. 鈥淐aptain Marvel,鈥� $12.7 million ($14.1 million international).
6. 鈥淭he Best of Enemies,鈥� $4.5 million.
7. 鈥淔ive Feet Apart,鈥� $3.7 million ($4.1 million international).
8. 鈥淯nplanned,鈥� $3.2 million.
9. 鈥淲onder Park,鈥� $2 million ($3.3 million international).
10. 鈥淗ow to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World,鈥� $2 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Comscore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included.
1. 鈥淪hazam!鈥� $102 million.
2. 鈥淒umbo,鈥� $39.6 million.
3. 鈥淧 Storm,鈥� $27.5 million.
4. 鈥淧et Sematary,鈥� $17.3 million.
5. 鈥淐aptain Marvel,鈥� $14.1 million.
6. 鈥淯s,鈥� $10.3 million.
7. 鈥淎ndhadhun,鈥� $7.6 million.
8. 鈥淪ong of Youth,鈥� $4.5 million.
9. 鈥淔ive Feet Apart,鈥� $4.1 million.
10. 鈥淐loud in the Wind,鈥� $3.4 million.
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
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