''Shazam!'' is a 2019
superhero film
A superhero film (or superhero movie) is a film that focuses on the actions of superheroes. Superheroes are individuals who possess superhuman abilities and are dedicated to protecting the public. These films typically feature action, advent ...
based on the
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...
character
of the same name. Produced by
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after ...
,
DC Films
DC Studios is an American film and television studio that is a division of Warner Bros., which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. It is dedicated to the production of films, series, and animations based on characters from DC Comics, ...
, The Safran Company, and
Seven Bucks Productions, and distributed by
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of li ...
, it is the seventh installment in the
DC Extended Universe
The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films and television series produced by DC Studios and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that ...
(DCEU). It was directed by
David F. Sandberg
David F. Sandberg (born 21 January 1981) is a Swedish filmmaker. He is best known for his collective no-budget horror short films under the online pseudonym ''ponysmasher'' and for his 2016 directorial debut '' Lights Out'', based on his 2013 a ...
from a screenplay by
Henry Gayden
Henry Gayden (born December 28, 1979) is an American screenwriter, best known for writing the films '' Earth to Echo'' (2014), '' Shazam!'' (2019) and '' There's Someone Inside Your House'' (2021).
Career
Gayden was born in Memphis, Tennessee. ...
who co-wrote the story with
Darren Lemke
Darren Lemke (born ) is an American screenwriter who has been active in the film industry since the late 1990s. His first major screenwriting credit was for ''Shrek Forever After'' (2010), which he wrote with Josh Klausner. Lemke directed the thr ...
, and stars
Zachary Levi,
Mark Strong,
Asher Angel
Asher Dov Angel (born September 6, 2002) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor in the 2008 film '' Jolene'', starring Jessica Chastain. He is known for his role as Jonah Beck in the 2017 Disney Channel series ''Andi Mack''. ...
,
Jack Dylan Grazer, and
Djimon Hounsou. The film follows teenager Billy Batson (Angel) as he is chosen by the ancient wizard
Shazam (Hounsou) to be his new champion by saying the name "Shazam", allowing him to transform into an adult superhero (Levi) with various superpowers. Billy and his foster brother
Freddy Freeman (Grazer) must discover Billy's new powers in order to stop the evil
Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Strong) and the
Seven Deadly Sins
The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a grouping and classification of vices within Christian teachings. Although they are not directly mentioned in the Bible, there are parallels with the seven things ...
.
Development of a
live-action
Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...
''Shazam!'' film began at New Line in the early 2000s, but was delayed for several years. The film went into pre-production in 2009, with
Peter Segal
Peter Segal (born 1962) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Segal has directed the comedic films ''Tommy Boy'' (1995), ''My Fellow Americans'' (1996), '' The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps'' (2000), ''Anger Manageme ...
as director,
John August as writer and
Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the develop ...
being considered to star as the villain
Black Adam, but the project fell through; Johnson acts as an executive producer on ''Shazam!''
William Goldman
William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He first came to prominence in the 1950s as a novelist before turning to screenwriting. He won Academy Awards for his screenplays '' ...
,
Alec Sokolow
Alec William Sokolow (born June 9, 1965) is an American screenwriter who has worked on such projects as the movies ''Cheaper by the Dozen'', ''Toy Story'', '' Money Talks'', and '' Garfield: The Movie''. He frequently works with writing partner ...
,
Joel Cohen, Bill Birch, and
Geoff Johns
Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash and Superman, has drawn critical acclaim.
He serv ...
, among others, were all attached to the project as writers at various points. The film was officially announced in 2014, with Johnson attached to star as either Shazam or Black Adam. In January 2017, he was cast to lead a solo Black Adam development project. Sandberg signed on to direct ''Shazam!'' in February 2017, and Levi was cast that October, with Angel joining the following month.
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as ...
began in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
on January 29, 2018, with most of the film shot at
Pinewood Toronto Studios, and
wrapped on May 11.
''Shazam!'' was released in the United States in
RealD 3D
RealD 3D is a digital stereoscopic projection technology made and sold by RealD. It is currently the most widely used technology for watching 3D films in theaters. Worldwide, RealD 3D is installed in more than 26,500 auditoriums by approximately ...
,
Dolby Cinema
Dolby Cinema is a premium cinema created by Dolby Laboratories that combines Dolby proprietary technologies such as Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, as well as other signature entrance and intrinsic design features. The technology competes with ...
,
IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating.
Graeme ...
,
4DX, and
ScreenX on April 5, 2019. The film was a box office success, grossing $366.1 million worldwide, and received positive reviews from critics, who praised Sandberg's direction and the performances of Levi, Angel and Grazer, as well as its generally light tone and sense of fun. It was followed by the
spin-off
Spin-off may refer to:
*Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work
*Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity
* Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gov ...
film ''
Black Adam'' (2022) and a sequel called ''
Shazam! Fury of the Gods'' will be releasing in 2023.
Plot
In 1974 in
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York (state), New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upsta ...
, young
Thaddeus Sivana is riding in a car with his abusive father and brother Sid during a snowstorm; being mocked and verbally harassed by them constantly. He is suddenly transported to the
Rock of Eternity, a mystic
temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
located in another dimension. The ancient wizard
Shazam has spent centuries searching for someone pure of heart to bestow his power and name as champion, after the previous champion released the
Seven Deadly Sins
The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a grouping and classification of vices within Christian teachings. Although they are not directly mentioned in the Bible, there are parallels with the seven things ...
. Thaddeus is tempted by the Sins, who promise him power if he will free them. The wizard deems Thaddeus unworthy and magically returns him to the car. Sivana's frustration and confusion leads to a vehicular accident which ends up with his father becoming paralyzed from the waist down and even more resentful towards him. Both he and Sid blame Thaddeus. The Sins send Thaddeus a message via his 8-Ball toy telling him to find them.
In present-day
Fawcett City, Philadelphia, 14-year-old foster child
Billy Batson
Captain Marvel, also known as Shazam, is a superhero appearing in American comic books originally published by Fawcett Comics and currently published by DC Comics. Artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker created the character in 1939. Capta ...
continually runs away from foster homes to search for his birth mother from whom he became separated while at a carnival ten years ago. He locks some police officers in a store and uses their computer to try finding his mother which is unsuccessful. He is placed in a group home run by Víctor and Rosa Vásquez, with five other foster children:
Mary Bromfield
Mary Marvel is a fictional character, a superheroine originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze, she first appeared in '' Captain Marvel Adventures'' #18 (cover-dated Dec. 1942). The ...
,
Pedro Peña,
Eugene Choi,
Darla Dudley
The Marvel Family, also known as the Shazam Family (or "Shazamily"), are a group of superheroes who originally appeared in books published by Fawcett Comics and were later acquired by DC Comics. Created in 1942 by writer Otto Binder and artist Ma ...
, and superhero enthusiast
Freddy Freeman. The embittered Sivana succeeds in his lifelong quest to find a way back to the Rock of Eternity. He becomes the Sins' vessel when the Eye fuses itself with his body and overpowers the wizard. He promptly uses his newfound powers to kill his father, brother, and Sivana Industries' board of directors.
Billy defends Freddy from bullies at school and is chased into a subway where he is transported to the Rock of Eternity. The wizard chooses Billy to be his new champion; by saying the name "Shazam", Billy transforms into an adult superhero. The wizard seemingly dies and leaves his magical staff behind. Freddy is taken into Billy's confidence and helps him explore his newfound powers, which include superhuman strength, near-invulnerability, and electricity manipulation. By saying "Shazam" again, he can transform back into his normal body. Freddy posts
viral video
A viral video is a video that becomes popular through a viral process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email.Lu Jiang, Yajie Miao, Yi Yang, ZhenZhong Lan, Alexander H ...
s of the new superhero, and Billy starts skipping school to use his powers to
busk for money and fame. He gets into an argument with Freddy after accidentally endangering and saving a bus full of people. Sivana arrives and demands that he surrender his powers. Billy discovers he is able to fly and escapes. He learns his biological mother's location and visits her, only to be heartbroken upon learning she abandoned him at the carnival after feeling inadequate as a young mother and no longer wanting him in her life.
Sivana deduces Billy's identity and takes his foster siblings hostage. Billy agrees to transfer his powers to Sivana in exchange for their safety. They go to the Rock of Eternity to use the wizard's staff to affect the transfer, but the children attack Sivana. Billy observes Sivana becomes vulnerable when all seven Sins leave his body. Sivana pursues them to a winter carnival and unleashes the Sins upon the crowd. Remembering the wizard's words, Billy uses the staff to share his powers with his siblings, transforming them into
adult superheroes like him where he breaks the staff. The Shazam Family battles against the Sins while Billy faces down Sivana. Billy goads Envy into leaving Sivana vulnerable and recaptures them after forcefully pulling the Eye out of Sivana's head.
Billy and his siblings are hailed as heroes. They return the Sins to their prison and realize they can use the Rock of Eternity as their superhero headquarters. Billy finally accepts his foster parents and siblings as his "real" family. In his superhero form, he has lunch with his siblings at school, revealing to Freddy's surprise that he has also invited
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...
.
In a
mid-credits scene, the imprisoned Sivana is approached by a talking caterpillar, who proposes an alliance.
Cast
*
Zachary Levi and
Asher Angel
Asher Dov Angel (born September 6, 2002) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor in the 2008 film '' Jolene'', starring Jessica Chastain. He is known for his role as Jonah Beck in the 2017 Disney Channel series ''Andi Mack''. ...
as
Billy Batson / Shazam: The champion of the wizard with whom he shares his name and the superhero alter-ego of Billy Batson, who possesses "the wisdom of
Solomon
Solomon (; , ),, ; ar, سُلَيْمَان, ', , ; el, Σολομών, ; la, Salomon also called Jedidiah (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Modern Hebrew, Modern: , Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yăḏīḏăyāh'', "beloved of Yahweh, Yah"), ...
, the strength of
Hercules
Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.
The Romans adapted the ...
, the stamina of
Atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth.
Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geogra ...
, the power of
Zeus
Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek relig ...
, the courage of
Achilles
In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus ( grc-gre, Ἀχιλλεύς) was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's '' Iliad''. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Pe ...
, and the speed of
Mercury".
** David Kohlsmith plays the four-year-old Billy.
*
Mark Strong as
Dr. Thaddeus Sivana: A scientist who was turned down as a potential champion and subsequently estranged from his family, who becomes a host for the
Seven Deadly Sins
The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a grouping and classification of vices within Christian teachings. Although they are not directly mentioned in the Bible, there are parallels with the seven things ...
and Shazam's nemesis. Strong previously portrayed
Sinestro
Thaal Sinestro () (or simply Sinestro) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, particularly those featuring Green Lantern. Sinestro is a former Green Lantern Corps member who was dishonorably discharged for abu ...
in the 2011 film ''
Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
'', making ''Shazam!'' his second appearance in a film based on DC Comics characters.
** Ethan Pugiotto plays the young Thaddeus.
*
Jack Dylan Grazer as
Frederick "Freddy" Freeman: Billy's physically disabled foster brother and a fan of superheroes, who mentors Billy on the use of his newfound powers.
**
Adam Brody
Adam Jared Brody (born December 15, 1979) is an American actor, writer, musician, and producer. He is known for his breakthrough role as Seth Cohen on the Fox television series ''The O.C.'', which premiered in 2003. Subsequently, Brody appeared ...
plays the character's adult superhero form.
*
Djimon Hounsou as
Shazam: The last surviving member of the Council of Wizards, who has spent centuries summoning people to his temple, the
Rock of Eternity, in search of a "pure of heart" champion to whom he can pass on his extraordinary faculties. Hounsou previously voiced King Ricou of the Fisherman in the DCEU film ''
Aquaman
Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in '' More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). The character is a pastiche of Namor. Initially a ...
'' (2018).
*
Faithe Herman
Faithe Herman (born December 27, 2007) is an American actress, best known for her work in ''This Is Us'' (2016) and '' Shazam!'' (2019).
Career
After appearing as Annie Pearson in the 2016 television show ''This Is Us'', Herman landed her firs ...
as
Darla Dudley
The Marvel Family, also known as the Shazam Family (or "Shazamily"), are a group of superheroes who originally appeared in books published by Fawcett Comics and were later acquired by DC Comics. Created in 1942 by writer Otto Binder and artist Ma ...
: Billy's good-natured younger foster sister.
**
Meagan Good
Meagan Monique Good is an American actress. She first gained critical attention for her role in the film ''Eve's Bayou'' (1997), prior to landing the role of Nina in the Nickelodeon sitcom ''Cousin Skeeter'' (1998–2001). Good received further ...
plays the character's adult superhero form.
*
Grace Fulton as
Mary Bromfield
Mary Marvel is a fictional character, a superheroine originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze, she first appeared in '' Captain Marvel Adventures'' #18 (cover-dated Dec. 1942). The ...
: Billy's mature, academically driven older foster sister.
**
Michelle Borth
Michelle Borth is an American actress who has portrayed characters on '' The Forgotten'' and the HBO series '' Tell Me You Love Me''. Borth played Catherine Rollins on the CBS crime-drama '' Hawaii Five-0''.
Early life and education
Borth was ...
plays the character's adult superhero form.
*
Ian Chen as
Eugene Choi: Billy's younger foster brother, an obsessive gamer and techie.
**
Ross Butler plays the character's adult superhero form.
* Jovan Armand as
Pedro Peña: Billy's older foster brother, a shy, sensitive boy who has trouble opening up.
**
D. J. Cotrona plays the character's adult superhero form.
*
Marta Milans as Rosa Vásquez: The foster mother of Billy and his siblings.
*
Cooper Andrews
Andrew Lawrence Cooper (born March 10, 1985), known professionally as Cooper Andrews, is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Jerry in '' The Walking Dead''.
Early life
Andrews was born in Smithtown, New York on Long Island. His f ...
as Víctor Vásquez: The foster father of Billy and his siblings.
The film also features
John Glover as Thaddeus Sivana's estranged father of and CEO of Sivana Industries.
Glover had starred in other DC Comics series and films: ''
Batman: The Animated Series'', ''
The New Batman Adventures'', and ''
Superman: The Animated Series'' as
The Riddler
The Riddler (Edward Nigma, later Edward Nygma or Edward Nashton) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, and debuted in ''Detective Comics'' #140 in O ...
;
Dr. Jason Woodrue in the 1997 film ''
Batman and Robin''; and
Lionel Luthor in ''
Smallville
''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar/G ...
''. Natalia Safran was cast as Thaddeus' mother, though her scenes were cut from the film. Caroline Palmer portrays Marilyn Batson, Billy's biological mother. Wayne Ward and Landon Doak portray Sid Sivana, Thaddeus' bullying brother as an adult and a teenager, respectively.
Carson MacCormac
Carson MacCormac is a Canadian actor.
Early life
MacCormac grew up in Oakville, Ontario. Although he began taking acting courses in 2011, his passion as a teenager was for baseball. He played for the Oakville A's, a youth league team run by th ...
and Evan Marsh portray Brett and Burke Breyer, bullies at the children's school.
Director
David F. Sandberg
David F. Sandberg (born 21 January 1981) is a Swedish filmmaker. He is best known for his collective no-budget horror short films under the online pseudonym ''ponysmasher'' and for his 2016 directorial debut '' Lights Out'', based on his 2013 a ...
makes
cameo appearance
A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...
s performing as each of the three Crocodile-Men (collaboratively assisted by Steve Newburn and Ned Morill), and provides the voice of the
alien lifeform Mister Mind during a mid-credits sequence. Sandberg's wife, actress
Lotta Losten, portrays Dr. Lynn Crosby; a researcher working with Dr. Sivana, who is killed by him. Sound designer Bill R. Dean has an uncredited cameo, providing the voice for a
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...
toy, while Ryan Hadley, Zachary Levi's stunt double, appears uncredited as a stand-in body double for
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...
. Hadley's appearance is a silent cameo, where the character is only seen from the neck down, due to
Henry Cavill being unavailable to film the scene. Executive producer
Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the develop ...
's likeness is used for the
mystically generated holograph of
Teth-Adam, which the wizard Shazam conjures while teaching Billy the history of the Rock of Eternity, the Seven Realms of Magic, and his previous Champion. Johnson portrayed the titular role in ''
Black Adam''.
The Seven Deadly Sins – a supernatural team of villains consisting of the demons
Pride
Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) w ...
,
Envy,
Greed,
Lust
Lust is a psychological force producing intense desire for something, or circumstance while already having a significant amount of the desired object. Lust can take any form such as the lust for sexuality (see libido), money, or power. It ...
,
Wrath
Anger, also known as wrath or rage, is an intense emotional state involving a strong uncomfortable and non-cooperative response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat.
A person experiencing anger will often experience physical effects, s ...
,
Gluttony
Gluttony ( la, gula, derived from the Latin ''gluttire'' meaning "to gulp down or swallow") means over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or wealth items, particularly as status symbols.
In Christianity, it is considered a sin ...
, and
Sloth
Sloths are a group of Neotropical xenarthran mammals constituting the suborder Folivora, including the extant arboreal tree sloths and extinct terrestrial ground sloths. Noted for their slowness of movement, tree sloths spend most of their l ...
– were portrayed by stunt doubles in
motion capture
Motion capture (sometimes referred as mo-cap or mocap, for short) is the process of recording the movement of objects or people. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robo ...
suits on-set during filming, and depicted on-screen through
CGI special effects.
Their voices were collectively provided by actors
Steve Blum,
Darin De Paul
Darin De Paul is an American voice actor known for his video game performances as Dr. Samuel Hayden / Seraphim in '' Doom'' and '' Doom Eternal'', Reinhardt in '' Overwatch'', Ardyn Izunia in ''Final Fantasy XV
is an action role-playing ga ...
, and
Fred Tatasciore
Fred Tatasciore (; ) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk and Beast in various Marvel media and Solomon Grundy in various DC ...
; Tatasciore previously voiced the Seven Sins in the direct-to-video ''
Lego DC Super Hero Girls: Super-Villain High''. In an
Easter egg appearance,
Andi Osho
Yewande "Andi" Osho (born 27 January 1973) is a British stand-up comedian, actress and television presenter.
Life and career
Osho was born in Plaistow, East London,In an interview for BBC Radio 4 Extra's ''MacAuley & Co'' in 2011 at the Edin ...
reprises her role as social worker Emma Glover from Sandberg's debut film ''
Lights Out''.
Production
Development and pre-production
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after ...
began development of a ''Shazam!''
live-action
Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...
feature film in the early 2000s, with multiple screenplay drafts, by
William Goldman
William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He first came to prominence in the 1950s as a novelist before turning to screenwriting. He won Academy Awards for his screenplays '' ...
, the team of
Alec Sokolow
Alec William Sokolow (born June 9, 1965) is an American screenwriter who has worked on such projects as the movies ''Cheaper by the Dozen'', ''Toy Story'', '' Money Talks'', and '' Garfield: The Movie''. He frequently works with writing partner ...
and
Joel Cohen, Bryan Goluboff, and
John August. The version of the ''Shazam!'' script written by August, which went into pre-production in 2008, was an action-comedy which focused on the origin story of the hero, then known by his original name of Captain Marvel, and his young alter ego, Billy Batson.
Peter Segal
Peter Segal (born 1962) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Segal has directed the comedic films ''Tommy Boy'' (1995), ''My Fellow Americans'' (1996), '' The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps'' (2000), ''Anger Manageme ...
was attached as director
and
Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the develop ...
was in talks to appear as the film's villain,
Black Adam.
New Line Cinema was absorbed into
Warner Bros., a larger film studio also owned at the time by
Time Warner
Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States.
It was originally established in 1972 by ...
, during the course of development.
Following the success of Warner's Batman film ''
The Dark Knight'' and the commercial failure of its lighter, family-friendly ''
Speed Racer
''Speed Racer'', also known as , is a Japanese media franchise about Auto racing, automobile racing. ''Mach GoGoGo'' was originally serialized in print in Shueisha's 1966 ''Shōnen Book''. It was released in tankōbon book form by Sun W ...
'', both during the summer of 2008,
August departed from the project, citing pressure from the studio to make the screenplay darker and more serious. In August 2009, Bill Birch and Geoff Johns, a prominent DC Comics writer, were assigned to write the screenplay, while Segal remained attached as director. In August 2010, the studio considered canceling the theatrical film in favor of a live-action series for
prime time
Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
network television. In December 2013, Segal stated that the film would not be happening, as the similarities between Captain Marvel and
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...
had become an obstacle after the successful launch of ''
Man of Steel'' earlier that year.
While the film was in
development limbo
Development hell, development purgatory, and development limbo are media and software industry jargon for a project, concept, or idea that remains in development for an especially long time, often moving between different crews, scripts, game e ...
, DC Comics rebooted the comic book franchise as part of their
New 52 relaunch in 2012. Due to the trademark conflicts with
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...
, who owned the trademark for "Captain Marvel" for use with
their own character of the same name,
DC renamed their Captain Marvel superhero character "Shazam" at this time when the New 52 started.
DC had been required to market and promote the character using the trademark ''Shazam!'', since acquiring the publishing rights from
Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s. Its most popular character was Captain Marvel (DC Comics), Captain Marvel, the alter ego of ...
in 1972. Captain Marvel had originated at Fawcett in 1939, but fell into limbo after 1953 following a long legal battle with DC over Captain Marvel's similarities to Superman.
In April 2014, Warner Bros. revealed their upcoming slate of films based on DC Comics properties: ''Shazam!'', ''
Metal Men
The Metal Men are a group of superheroes that appear in DC Comics. The characters first appeared in ''Showcase'' #37 (March–April 1962) and were created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Ross Andru. Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Bo ...
'', ''
Fables'', and ''
100 Bullets''. The ''Shazam!'' film was tentatively set for release in July 2016. Dwayne Johnson stated he would be starring in ''Shazam!'' that August, but was undecided between portraying Shazam or Black Adam.
In September, Johnson was cast as Black Adam, while
Darren Lemke
Darren Lemke (born ) is an American screenwriter who has been active in the film industry since the late 1990s. His first major screenwriting credit was for ''Shrek Forever After'' (2010), which he wrote with Josh Klausner. Lemke directed the thr ...
was set to write the script.
In January 2017,
Henry Gayden
Henry Gayden (born December 28, 1979) is an American screenwriter, best known for writing the films '' Earth to Echo'' (2014), '' Shazam!'' (2019) and '' There's Someone Inside Your House'' (2021).
Career
Gayden was born in Memphis, Tennessee. ...
was hired to rewrite Lemke's script. In February 2017, David F. Sandberg was in talks with the studio to direct ''Shazam!'',
while Dwayne Johnson was set to star in a ''Black Adam'' solo film, as opposed to appearing as the villain in ''Shazam!'',
while Doctor Sivana, another nemesis of Shazam, became the ''Shazam!'' film's main villain.
Sandberg was also approached to direct ''
Venom
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a st ...
'' for
Sony Pictures
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acq ...
, but Sandberg finally decided to direct ''Shazam!'' rather than ''Venom'' due to the former's crew consisting of several people Sandberg had worked with at New Line Cinema.
By July 2017, the studio had begun active development on ''Shazam!'' and Sandberg was confirmed as director, with production to begin in early 2018.
Dwayne Johnson relayed that a different creative team was now involved than when he first signed on to the film. After being cast as the lead, Zachary Levi stated in an interview, "the idea is that it's gonna feel like the movie ''
Big'', but with
super powers," when was asked about the direction
DC Films
DC Studios is an American film and television studio that is a division of Warner Bros., which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. It is dedicated to the production of films, series, and animations based on characters from DC Comics, ...
and New Line Cinema are going for with ''Shazam!'' Warner Bros. stated that the film would be based on the 2012–2013 ''Shazam!'' backup feature from the ''
Justice League'' comic book, by writer Geoff Johns and artist
Gary Frank,
which told a modernized version of Shazam's origin.
In August 2017, director David F. Sandberg stated that the film would be the next to shoot in the DC universe,
and by the end of the month, it had begun
pre-production. By October 2017, cinematographer
Maxime Alexandre
Maxime Alexandre (February 4, 1971 in Ronse, East Flanders, Belgium) is a Belgian Italian cinematographer, who was most recently cinematographer on the Netflix and Amblin Entertainment series ''The Haunting of Bly Manor'', the films ''Come Play ...
and production designer Jennifer Spence, who previously worked with Sandberg on ''
Annabelle: Creation'', were added to the production. The next month, ''
Aquaman
Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in '' More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). The character is a pastiche of Namor. Initially a ...
'' stunt coordinator Kyle Gardiner was hired to work on the film's action sequences. On January 12, 2018, the film's release date was announced as April 19, 2019, later moved to April 5.
Casting
In August 2017, the casting process for Shazam and other characters had begun. Sandberg had stated in an interview that instead of de-aging an actor using special effects or
computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The image ...
, he would cast both a child actor and an adult actor for the role of the main character.
Zachary Levi,
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied ...
,
Zane Holtz,
Jake McDorman,
Derek Theler
Derek Theler (born October 29, 1986) is an American film and television actor and model.
Acting career
Theler started his acting career in 2009, starring in several minor roles in TV series such as '' The Middle'', ''Cougar Town'', and '' The Hil ...
and
Billy Magnussen
William Gregory Magnussen (born April 20, 1985) is an American actor. He has been featured in the films ''Into the Woods'' (2014), ''Birth of the Dragon'' (2016), '' Game Night'' (2018), and ''Aladdin'' (2019), and has had supporting television r ...
all met with and/or auditioned for Sandberg for the role of Shazam.
By October 2017, Levi was cast in the titular role.
In November,
Grace Fulton joined the cast as Mary Bromfield, one of Billy Batson's foster siblings. Fulton had previously worked with the same director on ''Annabelle: Creation''.
Later that month,
Mark Strong was in final negotiations to play Dr. Sivana.
Strong confirmed he would be playing the role by January 2018. By November 2017,
Asher Angel
Asher Dov Angel (born September 6, 2002) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor in the 2008 film '' Jolene'', starring Jessica Chastain. He is known for his role as Jonah Beck in the 2017 Disney Channel series ''Andi Mack''. ...
was cast as the titular hero's teenage originator
Billy Batson
Captain Marvel, also known as Shazam, is a superhero appearing in American comic books originally published by Fawcett Comics and currently published by DC Comics. Artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker created the character in 1939. Capta ...
.
In December,
Jack Dylan Grazer was added as Freddy Freeman, Batson's best friend.
Later that month, Jovan Armand,
Ian Chen,
Faithe Herman
Faithe Herman (born December 27, 2007) is an American actress, best known for her work in ''This Is Us'' (2016) and '' Shazam!'' (2019).
Career
After appearing as Annie Pearson in the 2016 television show ''This Is Us'', Herman landed her firs ...
, and
Cooper Andrews
Andrew Lawrence Cooper (born March 10, 1985), known professionally as Cooper Andrews, is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Jerry in '' The Walking Dead''.
Early life
Andrews was born in Smithtown, New York on Long Island. His f ...
were cast as
Pedro Peña,
Eugene Choi, and
Darla Dudley
The Marvel Family, also known as the Shazam Family (or "Shazamily"), are a group of superheroes who originally appeared in books published by Fawcett Comics and were later acquired by DC Comics. Created in 1942 by writer Otto Binder and artist Ma ...
, respectively,
[Multiple sources:
*
* ] with Andrews portraying Víctor Vásquez, one of Billy Batson's foster parents.
By January 2018,
Ron Cephas Jones
Ron Cephas Jones (born January 8, 1957) is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the drama series ''This Is Us'' (2016–2022), which earned him four consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning twice for Outstanding Guest ...
entered talks to play the role of the wizard Shazam, who granted Batson his powers.
Later that month, Spanish actress Marta Milans joined the cast to play Rosa Vásquez, one of the foster parents at the home where Billy lives.
By the end of January 2018, actress Lotta Losten, the wife of director David F. Sandberg, revealed that she has a role in the film.
On April 23, 2018,
Ross Butler was announced to have joined the cast.
By July,
Djimon Hounsou had replaced Jones as Shazam, due to Jones having scheduling conflicts.
Henry Cavill was in talks to reprise his role as Superman from previous DCEU films for a cameo, but was unable to because of scheduling.
Filming
Principal photography for ''Shazam!'' began in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
and
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilto ...
, in Ontario, Canada on January 29, 2018, under the
working title
A working title, which may be abbreviated and styled in trade publications after a putative title as (wt), also called a production title or a tentative title, is the temporary title of a product or project used during its development, usually ...
''Franklin'',
and wrapped by mid-May 2018. The film was set primarily in Philadelphia and is firmly established within the DCEU.
Most of the production was shot at
Pinewood Toronto Studios, and also several public locations around the city, including the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
,
Woodbine Shopping Centre,
and
Hearn Generating Station. In early March 2018, filming took place at
Fort York National Historic Site in downtown Toronto. By early May 2018, Asher Angel, among other young cast members, had finished filming his part, and principal photography wrapped on May 11, 2018.
Reshoots and additional photography took place in Toronto between November and December 2018. Scenes set at the
Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin ...
, and well as other location work such as footage of the
skyline
A skyline is the outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city’s overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the land.
City skylin ...
and
aerial shots, were filmed in the city of Philadelphia in December 2018. ''Shazam!'' had a production budget of $90–100 million (and about $102 million once post-production was complete), making it the least expensive DCEU film to-date.
[
]
Post-production
David F. Sandberg's two-time collaborator Michel Aller served as the editor for ''Shazam!'' Mike Wassel ('' Hellboy II: The Golden Army'' and the ''Fast & Furious
''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, ...
'' franchise) and Kelvin McIlwain (''Aquaman'') were the overall visual effects supervisors for the film. Technicolor
Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades.
Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...
's VFX studios Mr. X (known for '' The Shape of Water'' and '' Tron: Legacy'') and Moving Picture Company
The Moving Picture Company (MPC) is a multinational company providing visual effects, CGI, animation, motion design and other services for the film, TV, brand experience and advertising industries.
Their artists have produced Academy Award ...
(MPC) provided visual effects
Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of
a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production.
The integration of live-action footage and other live-action foota ...
. Rodeo FX, DNEG, Digital Domain
Digital Domain is an American visual effects and digital production company based in Playa Vista, Los Angeles, California. The company is known for creating digital imagery for feature films, advertising and games from its locations in Californ ...
, and Rise FX also worked on the VFX.
Music
On July 21, 2018, Benjamin Wallfisch
Benjamin Mark Lasker Wallfisch (born 7 August 1979) is a British composer, conductor, orchestrator, and producer of film scores. Since the mid-2000s, he has worked on over 75 feature films, including composing original scores for ''Blade Ru ...
was announced as the composer for ''Shazam!'', marking his third collaboration with director David F. Sandberg after previously scoring Sandberg's ''Lights Out'' and ''Annabelle: Creation''. Wallfisch had also provided additional music for '' Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'', the second film in the DC Extended Universe
The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films and television series produced by DC Studios and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that ...
.
Wallfisch cited John Williams
John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review '' WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...
and scores from 1980s Amblin Entertainment
Amblin Entertainment, Inc., formerly named Amblin Productions and Steven Spielberg Productions, is an American film production company founded by director and producer Steven Spielberg, and film producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marsha ...
films as inspirations for ''Shazam!'', to match the tone of a film about "an old-school superhero from the Golden Age
The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the '' Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages, Gold being the first and the one during which the G ...
" In writing the score, Wallfisch stated that he was "picturing what might happen if a 14-year-old was put in front of a 100 piece orchestra and told there were no limits. I wanted the score to feel like it might have been written by an exuberant kid just having the time of his life with an orchestra."
Marketing
In April 2018, a first look at ''Shazam!'' was shown at the CinemaCon
The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is an American trade organization whose members are the owners of movie theaters. Most of the worldwide major theater chains' operators are members, as are hundreds of independent theater opera ...
convention in Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...
, Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
, as director David F. Sandberg introduced behind-the-scene footage. During an interview with the podcast Film Riot in June 2018, Sandberg stated that "On this one, it was just like 'Yeah, I want this to be a classic superhero movie.' It takes place in the winter, so it's a lot of dark exteriors, but with a lot of colorful lights and stuff around them." On July 21, 2018, the first teaser trailer was shown at San Diego Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is ...
during the Warner Bros. panel at Hall H, with Sandberg, Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, and Jack Dylan Grazer in attendance. The trailer was later released online. It received a favorable response from journalists and audiences, who praised its humorous, zany tone.
New footage from the film made its debut at Brazil Comic Con (CCXP) in São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaW ...
on December 9, 2018, during the Warner Bros. studio panel, with the footage described for the attendees as action-packed. A new trailer was released on March 4, and a three-minute sneak peek was included with the digital home media of ''Aquaman''. At the STP 500
The Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 is an annual 400-lap NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at the Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. It had no name from 1950 to 1955, before taking the name Virginia 500 in 1956. It is the first ...
on March 24, 2019, ''Shazam!'' was the primary sponsor of Aric Almirola
Aric Michael Almirola (born March 14, 1984) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 10 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. A graduate of Hillsborough High School in T ...
and the #10 Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifth-best selli ...
in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...
. Altogether the studio spent about $105 million promoting the film.[
]
Release
Theatrical
On March 13, 2019, Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of li ...
announced that they were teaming up with Fandango for exclusive preview screenings on March 23, two weeks before release, on 1,200 select screens and 40 exhibition circuits. ''Shazam!'' premiered at TCL Chinese Theater
Grauman's Chinese Theatre (branded as TCL Chinese Theatre for naming rights reasons) is a movie palace on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.
The original Chi ...
in Hollywood on March 28, 2019, and was theatrically released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures in RealD 3D
RealD 3D is a digital stereoscopic projection technology made and sold by RealD. It is currently the most widely used technology for watching 3D films in theaters. Worldwide, RealD 3D is installed in more than 26,500 auditoriums by approximately ...
, Dolby Cinema
Dolby Cinema is a premium cinema created by Dolby Laboratories that combines Dolby proprietary technologies such as Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, as well as other signature entrance and intrinsic design features. The technology competes with ...
, 4DX, IMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating.
Graeme ...
, ScreenX, and IMAX 3D
IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating.
Graeme ...
Formats, on April 5, 2019.
Home media
''Shazam!'' was released on digital download on July 2, 2019, and was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
, and DVD on July 16. Physical copies contain behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and gag reels. , ''Shazam!'' has made $8.3 million in DVD sales and $21 million in Blu-ray sales, totaling an estimated of $29.4 million in domestic video sales.
Reception
Box office
''Shazam!'' grossed $140.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $225.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $366.1 million.[ It was estimated that the film needed to gross $235–250 million worldwide in order to break even, and '']Deadline Hollywood
''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, wi ...
'' calculated the film made a net profit of $74 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues.
In the United States and Canada, ''Shazam!'' was released alongside '' The Best of Enemies'' and ''Pet Sematary
''Pet Sematary'' is a 1983 horror novel by American writer Stephen King. The novel was nominated for a World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1984, and adapted into two films: one in 1989 and another in 2019. In November 2013, PS Publishing r ...
'', and was projected to gross $40–50 million[Multiple sources:
*$40–45 million:
*$45–50 million: ] from 4,260 theaters in its opening weekend. Two weeks before its release, the film grossed $3.3 million from Fandango advance screenings, higher than the $2.9 million made by fellow DCEU film ''Aquaman'' the previous December. It then made $5.9 million from Thursday night screenings on April 4, for a combined preview total of $9.2 million. The film grossed a total of $20.4 million on its first day, including Thursday previews but not the March screenings. It went on to debut to $53.5 million, finishing first at the box office. In its second weekend the film made $24.5 million, retaining the top spot, before being dethroned by newcomer ''The Curse of La Llorona
''The Curse of La Llorona'' (also known as ''The Curse of the Weeping Woman'' in some markets) is a 2019 American supernatural horror film directed by Michael Chaves, in his feature directorial debut, and written by Mikki Daughtry and Tobias ...
'' in its third weekend. In its fourth weekend, it made $5.6 million and finished fifth at the box office, including behind fellow superhero films '' Avengers: Endgame'' and '' Captain Marvel''.
In other territories, the film was released in 53 markets on Wednesday, April 3 and Thursday, April 4, and was projected to debut to $100–120 million, for a global opening of $145–170. In its first two days of international release the film made $15.7 million, finishing first in 48 of its 53 markets. It was then released in an additional 26 countries, including China, where it made $16.4 million on its first day. It went on to have an international debut of $102 million, and a global total of $158.6 million. It came in first in 60 of its 79 markets, with its highest-grossing being China ($43.4 million), Mexico ($10.6 million), Australia ($10.3 million), the United Kingdom ($15.3 million), Russia ($8.4 million), and Brazil ($8.7 million).
Critical response
On review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
, the film holds an approval rating of with an average rating of , based on reviews. 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." On Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 71 out of 100, based on 53 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore
CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data.
Background
Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, and those at PostTrak gave the film an overall positive score of 83% and a 61% "definite recommend".
Nick Allen of ''RogerEbert.com
''RogerEbert.com'' is an American film review website that archives reviews written by film critic Roger Ebert for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' and also shares other critics' reviews and essays. The website, underwritten by the ''Chicago Sun-Times ...
'' said that "while ''Shazam!'' is goofier (and darker) than it may look, you'll wish its superhero came with a little more spark," while ''The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...
''s Frank Scheck called the film "''Big'' on steroids" and praised the tone and performances. Alonso Duralde of ''TheWrap
''TheWrap'' is an American online news website covering the business of entertainment and media via digital, print and live events. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009.
Awards
''TheWrap'' has won awards for its journalism, incl ...
'' wrote, "If the ''Wonder Woman'' and ''Aquaman'' movies represented DC Comics' first big-screen steps away from the austere color palette of the Zack Snyder
Zachary Edward Snyder (born March 1, 1966) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and cinematographer. He made his feature film debut in 2004 with '' Dawn of the Dead'', a remake of the 1978 horror film of the same name. Since t ...
movies, ''Shazam!'' takes us deeply into primary colors in a single bound... this new DC entry has a lovely lightness, both in the visuals and in its tone."
Writing for '' The A.V. Club'', Ignatiy Vishnevetsky gave the film a "B−" and said: "...while the story of an extremely overpowered champion rising to challenge a one-dimensionally sinister baddie might seem like the epitome of simplicity, ''Shazam!'' is still a modern-day tentpole blockbuster, overburdened with backstories for both hero and villain and subtexts that it can't (or won't) fully articulate." That publication followed up with a further consideration of masculinity
Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some behaviors ...
in the film and the superhero genre generally, focusing on the transition of Billy Batson from an adolescent boy to a man with power and responsibility. Benjamin Lee of ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
'' gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, specifying, "The finale, while admirably self-contained and small-scale, grinds on for far too long, a boring escalation of anti-climaxes that cumulatively dull the intended emotional impact. It's a film in need of a tighter edit with a script in need of a sharper polish, an imperfect franchise-launcher that nonetheless represents significant progress for DC."
Accolades
Sequels
Spin-Off
Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the develop ...
was attached to ''Shazam!'' early in development, and confirmed that he would portray the villain Black Adam in September 2014. The producers decided to give the character his own film in January 2017, and Adam Sztykiel was hired that October. Jaume Collet-Serra joined in June 2019. Additional casting took place over the next year, including four members of the Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America (JSA, or Justice Society (JS)) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Boo ...
(JSA), and the script was re-written by Haines and Noshirvani. Filming took place from April to August 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia, and also Los Angeles. It was originally set for release on December 22, 2021, but was pushed back and released on October 21, 2022.
Sequel
On April 8, 2019, ''TheWrap'' reported that New Line Cinema was developing a sequel with Henry Gayden returning to write the film, along with David F. Sandberg directing and Peter Safran producing. In December 2019, New Line Cinema announced that the sequel would be released on April 1, 2022. The release date was delayed several times, and is due for release March 17, 2023.
Notes
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shazam (film)
2019 films
2019 3D films
2019 action films
2010s coming-of-age films
2010s superhero comedy films
American action comedy films
American fantasy action films
American adventure comedy films
American Christmas films
American coming-of-age films
American teen comedy films
American Christmas comedy films
DC Extended Universe films
Demons in film
2010s English-language films
Films about adoption
Films about bullying
Films about magic
Films about size change
Films about wizards
Films based on classical mythology
Films directed by David F. Sandberg
Films produced by Peter Safran
Films scored by Benjamin Wallfisch
Films set in 1974
Films set in the 2000s
Films set in 2018
Films set in New York (state)
Films set in Philadelphia
Films set in schools
Films shot in Philadelphia
Films shot in Toronto
Films with screenplays by Henry Gayden
Fratricide in fiction
IMAX films
New Line Cinema films
Patricide in fiction
Films about rapid human age change
Films with screenplays by Darren Lemke
Shazam! (film series)
Seven Bucks Productions films
Teen superhero comedy films
Seven deadly sins in popular culture
Warner Bros. films
ScreenX films
4DX films
2010s American films