LOTUS' NOTES: DCEU Continues to Struggle as 'Shazam! Fury of the Gods' Bombs

"The sequel's opening marks one of the worsts starts for a title in the DC Cinematic Universe, including those released during the pandemic."

Lotus' Notes is an occasional editorial series addressing issues related to comic books and pop culture

Another DC Comics film not in the 'Batman' universe crashes and burns at the box office leaving a fractured fanbase licking its wounds and betting it all on...Ezra Miller?

"The movie opened to a dismal $30.5 million domestically from 4,071 theaters, well behind the $53.5 million domestic opening of the first Shazam! in 2019, not adjusted for inflation," according to The Hollywood Reporter. This is a devastating outcome for a studio still transitioning from the old regime to the new Warner Bros. Discovery brass which had just tapped James Gunn and Peter Safran to helm DC Studios to help avoid dismally performing films like 'Shazam.' Three more films will be released this year that also began production pre-Gunn/Safran - The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. While Gunn has announced some of the expected projects he's working on including a new Superman film, the studio will have to suck up the results of the current slate whose fortunes are anything but guaranteed.

What happened with 'Shazam! Fury of the Gods'? The first film was a modest hit, well-received by audiences and critics alike. It wasn't a huge blockbuster but it did well enough to garner a sequel. 'Fury' has accumulated less favorable reviews calling it "more unfocused and less satisfying than its predecessor," by critics but audiences who have seen it rate it much higher. Was it the marketing? Was it the lack of a well-known comic villain? Did The Rock's refusal to appear in it as Black Adam hurt it? Did Zachary Levi's controversial anti-vax social media post play a part? Or is the proposed revamp by Gunn making this year's offerings inconsequential?

Answers are hard to come by especially for a studio in such turmoil and turnover. If you have a beef with WBD it could be for any number of reasons. From canceling finished or near-finished projects including 'Batgirl' which was deemed "not releasable" for tax write-offs, to the mishandling of the Zack Snyder and David Ayer franchises from previous executives. Meanwhile, Marvel Studios just established an unprecedented run of ten years of record-setting comic book movies. The once-standard for comic book films has been reeling producing an inconsistent stream of mostly underwhelming features. And yet, the studio is banking on Ezra Miller, despite all of his off-set issues, to right the ship with 'The Flash' this June.

The buzz on 'The Flash' has been deafening. It's been so well regarded that even an early look by Tom Cruise had him gushing. Even with Miller's legal troubles, the film has impressed WBD so much that it even shelled out Super Bowl money to run a spot during the game. The trailer even impressed skeptical fans who've followed the long-delayed project through its many ups and downs. It doesn't hurt that the film features not one but two Batmen, the corporation's most popular and most used character, tapping into the nostalgia of fan-favorite Michael Keaton and pro-Snyder loyalists Ben Affleck. WB needs a hit in general and they're all-in on 'The Flash' being a huge hit because, among other things, it's supposed to reset the DCEU going forward. The other lingering question will be if it is the success they're hoping it to be does that mean a rehabilitated Miller stays on for more?

It's not all doom and gloom. The future of DC Comics adaptations seems to be in good hands as James Gunn continues to promote the comics that inspire his slate of projects on social media leading to sell-outs, a promotional tactic that Marvel rarely does to lift the comic side of the business. He'll write and direct 'Superman Legacy' while James Mangold looks to be helming the 'Swamp Thing' movie. The sequel of the surprising billion-dollar box office hit 'Joker' featuring music superstar Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn is in production and Matt Reeve will be back with 'The Batman, Part II.'

It's going to be a rocky year for WBD and DC but hopefully 'Shazam' represents rock bottom and 'The Flash' as the launching pad it needs as it closes out one era and enters another.