We’re about a month and a half out from the release of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, the first of four DC films that will be arriving in 2023. The project, which is the sequel to 2019’s Shazam!, has wowed fans with the family-friendly superhero antics across its two trailers thus far, and there’s definitely been a lot of speculation as to how that will translate into box office numbers. On Wednesday, a report from The Wrap confirmed that Fury of the Gods has scored a release in China, with the film expected to release in the country at the same time as it launches domestically, March 17th.
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This comes amid an ever-evolving conversation about China’s impact on the blockbuster box office, with the country banning some recent films for various reasons. The tide has started to turn, however, with Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania also debuting in the country at some point this spring.
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.
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 in a currently-unknown role, Helen Mirren as Hespera, and Lucy Liu as Kalypso.
“I loved the first Shazam movie,” producer and DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran explained in an interview with Collider last year. “I thought it was beautifully done. I thought that David Sandberg nailed that tone so incredibly well. The eye of the needle was so small to get it right, but he really did nail it. I feel like this second one has more emotion, more humor, but it also has bigger action, bigger set pieces, some great villains. I just feel like it’s everything that we loved in the first movie but really turned up to 11. So I love it.”
“I think the addition of some of these new characters with Rachel Zegler and Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu are fantastic editions,” Safran continued. “I love that the kids are all a little bit older now so we get to have a little bit more fun in kind of an edgier fashion with them. Zach inhabits that character in such a beautiful fashion. So to have been able to make a second one of those, it’s a thrill.”
Are you excited for Shazam! Fury of the Gods? What do you think of it getting a release date in China? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is set to be released exclusively in theaters on March 17th.
