Shazam! 2 Reportedly Releasing Digitally Sooner Than Expected

By Adam Barnhardt

After less-than-stellar reviews and an abysmal opening weekend at the box office, it looks like Shazam!: Fury of the Gods may be hitting digital platforms in no time at all. According to the film's page on Prime Video, the Zach Levi-starring follow-up will be available for purchase beginning April 17th at 11:00 p.m. Central time. That means the film will have just a one-month exclusive in theaters before hitting digital platforms, a shorter timeframe than even the newest pandemic-era theatrical windows.

No stranger to disruption, Warners Bros. shook the box office to its core at the height of the pandemic, choosing to release even its largest features day and date with releases in theaters. Despite pushing films to HBO Max the same day they hit theaters, then-CEO Jason Kilar said the company still firmly believed in the power of cinema.

"I absolutely believe in the theatrical marketplace. I say that with conviction because I know fans care about it. I know I count myself as one of the more ardent fans of the theatrical experience," Kilar told Deadline at the time. "I believe 10 years from now, 20 years from now, 50 years from now, there is going to be a robust theatrical marketplace, and I say that because there are very few things that can compete on a Friday night when you're going out with someone that you love, to a cinema, and being told a great story on a gigantic screen, in a communal setting and in an environment that is new and interesting to you. And I just think that's going to persist for decades and beyond that."

What is Shazam! 2 about?

In Shazam! Fury of the Gods, when Billy Batson and his foster siblings, who transform into superheroes by saying "Shazam!", are forced to get back into action and fight the Daughters of Atlas, they must stop them from using a weapon that could destroy the world in which they must travel in order to make peace with the Gods because of Billy taking their powers for granted.

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The film stars Asher Angel and Zachary Levi as Billy Batson / Shazam!, Grace Caroline Currey as Mary Bromfield, Adam Brody as Super Hero Freddy, Faithe Herman as Darla Dudley, Meagan Good as Super Hero Darla, Ian Chen as Eugene Choi, Ross Butler as Super Hero Eugene, Jovan Armand as Pedro Pena, D.J. Cotrona as Super Hero Pedro, Marta Milans as Rosa Vasquez, and Cooper Andrews as Victor Vasquez. New cast members also include Rachel Zegler as Anthea, Helen Mirren as Hespera, and Lucy Liu as Kalypso.

Shazam!: Fury of the Gods is now in theaters.

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