Even with the Hellboy opening in theaters everywhere this weekend, Shazam! is still projected to retained its top spot at the domestic box office.According to senior box office analyst Jeff Bock, the DC Extended Universe film is on track to earn approximately $25 million domestically this coming weekend, above expectations for Hellboy's opening.
While Shazam! has been received positively by audiences and critics alike, advance reviews for the Dark Horse Comics adaptation currently has one of the lowest critics' scores on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes of any major film released so far this year.
Initial box office projections for Hellboy had the reboot earning $16 million domestically during its opening weekend with a lifetime domestic box office predicted to be around $34 million. With a reported production budget of $50 million, not including marketing or distribution costs, this does not bode well for the film.
Directed by David F. Sandberg, Shazam! stars Asher Angel as Billy Batson, Zachary Levi as Shazam, Mark Strong as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, Djimon Hounsou as the ancient wizard Shazam, Grace Fulton as Mary Bromfield, Jack Dylan Grazer as Frederick “Freddy†Freeman, Ian Chen as Eugene Choi, Jovan Armand as Pedro Peña, Faithe Herman as Darla Dudley, Cooper Andrews as Victor Vásquez and Marta Milans as Rosa Vásquez. The film is in theaters now.
Arriving April 12, director Neil Marshall’s Hellboy stars David Harbour as Hellboy, Ian McShane as Trevor Bruttenholm, Milla Jovovich as Nimue, Sasha Lane as Alice Monaghan, Penelope Mitchell as Ganeida and Daniel Dae Kim as Ben Daimio.