DCEU's Shazam! is getting positive reviews from the critics. Several are even calling it better than Wonder Woman and Aquaman, but its box-office collection will surely hit after the release of Avengers: Endgame.
Shazam! is based on the DC Comics character of the same name and serves as the seventh movie in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The movie follows the story of Billy Batson, a teenager who can transform into an adult superhero, played by Zachary Levi. The upcoming movie is going to be the first live-live-action version of the character since 1951 TV serial, Adventures of Captain Marvel.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie holds a near-perfect rating of 94 percent. The website's critical consensus reads, "An effortlessly entertaining blend of humor and heart, Shazam! is a superhero movie that never forgets the genre's real power: joyous wish fulfillment."
The Hollywood Reporter has called the movie, something very high on steroids. It has also praised the movie for its phenomenal performance and the comic tone. The Wrap has compared Shazam! with DCEU's previous movies like Wonder Woman and Aquaman. Its movie critic has compared it with Zach Snyder's ascetic color palette movies in the DC and stated that Shazam! brings back the colors to the DC world, which is actually a great thing to say about any superhero movie.
The upcoming Shazam! is made against a budge of $100 million and movie finance experts have predicted that it will gross $45 million in the first week only. To break even, this latest entry into the superhero world would have to make no less than $300-400 million. Apart from Pet Sematary and The Best of Enemies, there are no other big releases during its release week.
That being said, MCU's Avengers: Endgame is scheduled to release on April 26. So, compare to Endgame, Shazam! doesn't have too much fan following and there are chances that Endgame's release would surely affect the third and fourth weekend of Shazam! It would be interesting to see how Shazam! will compete against a franchise which has offered us 21 movies in the last ten years.
Shazam! is scheduled for release worldwide on April 5, 2019, and will feature an ensemble cast of Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan, and Djimon Hounsou. The movie is written by Henry Gayden and is directed by David F. Sandberg who previously directed movies like Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation. Sandberg has also written and directed several acclaimed short films.
