Box Office Round-Up ~ 3/20/23

By: [email protected] on

Even if DC Extended Universe wasn’t already coming to an end—in its current form, at least—the underwhelming debut of Shazam! Fury of the Gods would be a very bad omen. Coming in well short of both its 2019 predecessor Shazam! and last year’s Black Adam, the sequel, once again directed by David F. Sandberg and starring Zachary Levi, grossed a disappointing $30.1 million in its opening weekend. Audience response has been positive, however, and that may translate to a lower-than-usual drop next weekend.

With no other notable new movies in the top five, last week’s releases all moved down a rank, with Scream VI taking second place with $17.3 million for a domestic total of $75 million in less than two weeks. Similarly, Creed III took third place in its third weekend with $15.3 million. Unlike the more family-friendly Shazam!, these two sequels may take a bigger hit this upcoming weekend with the release of R-rated John Wick: Chapter 4.

Rounding out the top five were 65, clearing $20 million overall with a sophomore weekend of $5.8 million, while Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania—from that other superhero cinematic universe—grossed $4.2 million in fourth place, bringing its total just past $200 million domestic.

1. Shazam! Fury of the Gods ($30.1 MM)
Director: David F. Sandberg (CAA)
Writers: Henry Gayden (UTA), Chris Morgan (CAA)
Cast: Zachary Levi (UTA)
         Asher Angel (UTA)
         Jack Dylan Grazer (UTA)

2.  Scream VI ($17.3 MM)
Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (UTA), Tyler Gillett (UTA)
Writers: James Vanderbilt (WME), Guy Busick (A3 Artists Agency)
Cast: Courteney Cox (WME)
         Melissa Barrera (WME)
         Jenna Ortega (CAA)

3. Creed III ($15.3 MM)
Director: Michael B. Jordan (WME)
Writers: Keenan Coogler (WME), Zach Baylin (CAA), Ryan Coogler (WME)
Cast: Michael B. Jordan (WME)
         Tessa Thompson (WME)
         Jonathan Majors (WME)

4.  65 ($5.8 MM)
Director: Scott Beck (CAA), Bryan Woods (CAA)
Writers: Scott Beck (CAA), Bryan Woods (CAA)
Cast: Adam Driver (Bailey Brand Management)
         Ariana Greenblatt (Paradigm)
         Chloe Coleman (A3 Artists Agency)

5. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania ($4.2 MM)
Director: Peyton Reed (WME)
Writers: Jeff Loveness (UTA)
Cast: Paul Rudd (UTA)
         Evangeline Lilly (UTA)
         Michael Douglas (UTA)

Source: Box Office Mojo, The Numbers