‘Shazam!’ Dominates Box Office

variety.com: The magic word at the box office this weekend was “Shazam!” Warner Bros.’ latest DC superhero adventure easily topped charts in North America, pocketing $53 million when it debuted in 4,217 venues.

Buoyed by positive reviews, “Shazam!” arrived ahead of expectations, which anticipated a start around $40 million to $45 million. The film, made by Warner Bros.’ New Line division, also earned $3 million in advanced screenings, bringing its domestic haul to $56 million. Overseas, “Shazam!” dominated with $102 million from 79 international markets for a global start of $158.6 million.

While “Shazam!’s” domestic opening weekend is on the lower side for a traditional comic-book movie, it was significantly less expensive to make compared to other films in the genre that are heavy on special effects. That means “Shazam!” doesn’t have to reach the same box office heights as other DC Comic entries like “Aquaman” and “Wonder Woman” to turn a profit. Warner Bros. and New Line spent $98 million to produce “Shazam!,” proving that studios can crank out a solid superhero installment without breaking the bank. Prior DC films like “Justice League” and “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” on the other hand, cost upward of $300 million before taking marketing and distribution into count.

Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. president of domestic distribution, said this weekend’s “thrilling result” was because “Shazam!” doesn’t take itself too seriously. Though it’s still in the superhero genre, it feels lighter in tone than the influx of comic-book titles in theaters. “It was about having fun,” he said.

“‘Wonder Woman and ‘Aquaman’ were very dark and dramatic and different,” Goldstein added. “It shows we’re making a variety of different movies that can all live in the same space.”

“Shazam!” — described as “Big” meets “Superman” — centers on Billy Baston (Asher Angel), a teenager who transforms into a superhero (Zachary Levi) when someone says the magic word. Both critics and fans praised the movie for its lighter take on the genre, compared to the apocalyptic storylines in other comic-book adaptations. Moviegoers awarded with an A CinemaScore. Males accounted for 57% of opening weekend audiences, while 45% of crowds were under the age of 25.