Zachary Levi, the star of Shazam! Fury Of The Gods, is still unsure about the franchise sequel’s performance four months after its short theatrical run. With the movie barely breaking even with its $100 million budget, Levi reflected on the mixed results recently on The FilmUp Podcast.
Recently, Levi’s attention has turned towards critics, who were notably harsher on the film compared to the audience’s reception. He expressed surprise at the “very oddly and perplexingly low” critic ratings on Rotten Tomatoes and the unkindness displayed by some. Levi also shared his perspective on how the world has changed since the first Shazam! movie, possibly affecting the sequel’s perception.
“I think even just the world, from the first movie to the second movie, the world has shifted so much,” Levi said. “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 don’t like them, or they don’t like me, or they don’t like other people involved in them or whatever.”
Levi admits uncertainty about the future of the Shazam! franchise. In March, immediately following the first-weekend box office numbers coming in, director David Sandberg took to social media to announce he’s done making superhero movies for the time being.
He hopes viewers will give Fury Of The Gods another chance on streaming platforms, but the film’s financial success will determine its fate. As of now, it remains uncertain whether Levi will reprise the role in the near future. Fury of the Gods earned generally worse reviews than the first movie. The original earned a 71 score on GameSpot sister site Metacritic, compared to a 47 for the sequel.
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