'Shazam!' debuts with $53.5m, handing DC Comics another win

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The well-reviewed, relatively modestly budgeted "Shazam!" debuted with 53.5 million U.S. dollars 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's superhero stable, "Shazam!" doesn't boast the name-recognition of Batman or Superman, but by scaling back to a 100 million U.S. dollars budget and going for the lighter, comic tone, "Shazam!" 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 U.S. dollars in advance screenings.

Pitched as "'Big' meets 'Superman,'" "Shazam!" stars Asher Angel as Billy Batson, a teenage foster kid who transforms into an adult superhero (played by Zachary Levi).

Asher Angel(L), Avi Angel, arrives for Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema's world premiere of "Shazam!" at TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, March 28, 2019. /VCG Photo

Jeff Goldstein, distribution chief at Warner Bros., said the studio originally forecast a 40 million U.S. dollars opening. "That was the right number for us," Goldstein said, "That's what we needed to make money on it."

But expectations grew based on reviews (91% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and audience reaction (an "A" Cinemascore). The PG-13-rated film attracted an especially young crowd; 45% were under 25.

Overseas, "Shazam!" grossed 102 million U.S. dollars in 79 markets, including 30.9 million U.S. dollars in China.

"DC has really found its groove," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. "They're 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."

(Cover: Zachary Levi attend the premiere of the film "Shazam" in Beijing, China, March 25, 2019. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AP