Director David F. Sandberg’s Shazam! sequel has not fulfilled its expectations for box office numbers. The financial reception of the film has been a disappointment since many franchise films released in the spring are seen to be breaking records, yet this DC property has not been able to do so even with its company’s label. Some have speculated that this is due to the franchise’s inherent goofiness and lack of ties to more significant and popular superheroes within the DCEU.

According to Deadline, Shazam! Fury of the Gods “…is looking at a $30.5M start in US/Canada as of Sunday AM, off 43% from the first 2019 movie’s $53.5M opening. The sequel also missed its $85M global opening projections with $65.5M.” By just looking at the numbers, one can see that the sequel has not only done poorly in its opening but has had even less success than the first film. This is further exemplified through looking at audience diagnostics on CinemaScore, where Shazam! Fury of the Gods received a B+ to the first film’s A.

Deadline suspects that a significant reason for the film’s low attention from moviegoers is due to “the fact that there’s no want-to-see among core DC fans in regards to this sequel. It’s not part of a connective tissue in the DC universe, nor was it ever, and that’s a problem that DC Bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran are looking to fix. They’ve been very public about laying out their new multiverse, and it was never made certain that Shazam would be a definite part of their ‘Chapter One, Gods and Monsters.’”