Shazam wasn’t the magic word at the weekend box office.

“Shazam: Fury of the Gods” opened to No. 1 in North America, but the Warner Bros. and DC Comics sequel fell short of expectations with its disappointing $30.5 million debut from 4,071 theaters. Heading into the weekend, the film was expected to collect $35 million to $40 million, which already wasn’t all that spectacular since it cost north of $110 million to make and another $100 millions more to market.

"Shazam 2" is a disappointing sequel to 2019's "Shazam," which opened to $53.5 million and ended its box office run with $140 million domestically and $366 million globally. It added $35 million from 77 markets for a dismal global start of $65.5 million. It landed a "B+" CinemaScore, down from the first film's "A" grade, and holds a 53% on Rotten Tomatoes. David F. Sandberg returned to direct "Fury of the Gods," which centers on Billy Batson and his foster siblings as they team up to fight the Daughters of Atlas, who wield a weapon that could destroy the world. It is the first movie to be released since James Gunn and Peter Safran have taken over the superhero universe and set it on a brand new direction. This points to a future in which studios can no longer release just superhero movies..

In 2023, Paramount's thriller "Scream VI" slid to second place with $17.5 million from 3,676 North American cinemas, bringing its domestic tally to $76 million. Michael B. Jordan's sports drama "Creed III" took third place with $15.3 million, and Sony's prehistoric sci-fi thriller "65" landed at No. 4 with $5.8 million. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania rounded out the top five with $4.1 million from 2,650 theaters.