'Shazam!' Beats 'Aquaman' in Preview Screening Box Office

If preview nights are any indication, Shazam! is about to have one massive box office run. New reports suggest the Zachary Levi-led film brought in $3.3 million on its special Fandango preview night, compared to the $2.9 million Aquaman earned in a similar event with Atom and Amazon Prime. Aquaman went on to earn a whopping $1.1 billion worldwide, more than enough to convince Warner Brothers to push both a direct sequel and spin-off (The Trench) into development at the production house.

Early box office tracking suggests Shazam! will make around $40 million in its opening weekend in theaters, nearly $30 million less than Aquaman earned in the same timeframe. Despite lower than average tracking, fans and critics have raved about the movie, which currently has a 93% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Should the film overcome the early tracking and put up Aquaman-like numbers, it'd be third-straight box office monster for Warner Brothers and their fledgling DC Extended Universe.

Aquaman currently sits atop of the worldwide box office charts for the DCEU, with Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice ($873.6m) and Wonder Woman ($821.8m) following.

ComicBook.com's Brandon Davis calls it one of the best DC films since "The Dark Knight changed the comic book game in 2008."

"By the time Shazam! comes to an end, moviegoers will definitely know this hero's name and be eager to hear it shouted many more times," Davis says about the film. "This might just be the most fun audiences have at the movies this year, and it's proof that DC has another major winner on its hands. Shazam! is, quite simply, lightning in a bottle."

Aquaman is set for home media release on March 26th while Shazam! hits theaters April 5th. Other upcoming DC films include Joker on October 10th, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) on February 7, 2020, Wonder Woman 1984 on June 5, 2020, The Batman on June 25, 2021, The Suicide Squad on August 6, 2021, and Aquaman 2 on December 16, 2022.

How much money do you think Shazam! will make in its box office run? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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