DC had a very rough start to its Cinematic Universe. Man of Steel and Batman V Superman might have done okay with at the box-office but fans were not pleased with the movies and the result of which was that Justice League tanked at the box-office.
That said DC had a huge success with Wonder Woman, the first female led superhero movie that very few expected to be a breakout success. James Wann’s Aquaman made $1 Billion Dollar at the international Box-Office. So, is this the reversal of trend that DC had been hoping for. Are they out of the woods and does success await them in their future endeavors.
2019 has Shazam and Joker planned out for DC. By the trailers of the movie, it is obvious that Warner Bros want us to know that is going to be a fun movie filled with humour and references just like a Marvel movie. So, please come and watch our movie, Shazam.
Shazam, who earlier went by the name of Captain Marvel in the DC comics is a story of a kid named Billy Baston who gains the powers of a wizard named Shazam. The wizard was guarding a prison where the seven deadly sins: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and pride were imprisoned. He was looking for someone to hand over the mantle when he meets Billy and empowers him with his magic.
The trailer gives us a sneak peek at the movie’s villain Dr. Sivana, who in comics goes looking out for a way to save his family who were fatally ill and beyond science’s saving. It is in a way similar to what Doctor Strange’s arc with a difference that it is Sivana’s family that needs saving rather than him.
Dr. Sivana had a troubled childhood and grew up to be a psychotic loner. In this expedition to find the magical solution to his problems he comes across Black Adam during which he gains his powers and is struck my magic in one of his eyes that enables him to see the magic spells as we wee water and stones. A cool power to have.
So, the movie will play out as a origin story where Billy Baston meets with the wizard Shazam who gives him his powers. Billy along with his friend learn and explore Billy’s Shazam powers and have a lot fun doing that until Dr. Sivana comes by to say more than just hello.
It is still unclear if we would get to see the Black Adam in the movie or will it be just Sivana vs Shazam. I hope that Black Adam does make an appearance. As we are going to get his solo movie where Rock Dwayne Johnson plays Black Adam. If not an appearance than at least some sort of setup is expected. Like we had of Grindelwald in ‘Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them’.
How should we expect the box-office to play out? Well, the movie is made on a production budget of just $90 million. So it doesn’t need to put up record-breaking numbers in order to be profitable. Although it won’t out gross Captain Marvel or Aquaman, it will make a strong case for a sequel, given its low budget.
We should expect $100 million at US box office and another $200 million at the international box office. It might sound a conservative estimate. Well, it is. If it does better than more power to DC and it will enable the studio to put more movies something that we all want.
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