Shazam! (2019)
88%RT Audience Score: 82%
Awards & Nominations: 29 nominations
An effortlessly entertaining blend of humor and heart, Shazam! is a superhero movie that never forgets the genre’s real power: joyous wish fulfillment
Shazam! is like a superhero movie mixed with a coming-of-age story, and it’s a total blast. The film doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is a refreshing change from some of the other DC movies. Plus, the humor is on point and the cast is fantastic. It’s definitely worth a watch, even if you’re not a die-hard comic book fan. And let’s be real, who doesn’t love a good origin story?
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action, language, and suggestive material
Year of Release
2019
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Atmos IMAX 6-Track
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:2h 12m
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Language(s):English, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Apr 5, 2019 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 2, 2019
Genre(s)
Action/Adventure
Keyword(s)
starring Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou, Grace Fulton, directed by David F Sandberg, written by Henry Gayden, produced by Peter Safran, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, PG-13, reviewed by Andrea Gronvall, Peter Rainer, Michael Sragow, Wenlei Ma, Kim Newman, Roxana Hadadi, Brian Eggert, David Gonzalez, Lonita Cook, Nicholas Oon, Rick Marshall, budget, box office performance, superhero, wish fulfillment, magic, evil villain, foster family, Seven Deadly Sins, DC Extended Universe, Dolby Atmos, Scope (2.35:1), Warner Bros Pictures, Dr Thaddeus Sivana, Mary Bromfield, Freddy Freeman, Wizard, Language, Intense Sequences of Action, Suggestive Material
Worldwide gross: $366,080,049
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $422,988,854
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 365
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 46,127,465
US/Canada gross: $140,480,049
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $162,318,310
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 477
US/Canada opening weekend: $53,505,326
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $61,822,972
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 165
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $100,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $115,545,454
Production budget ranking: 327
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $62,221,227
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $245,222,174
ROI to date (est.): 138%
ROI ranking: 804
Mark Strong – Dr. Sivana
Asher Angel – Billy Batson
Jack Dylan Grazer – Freddy Freeman
Djimon Hounsou – Wizard
Grace Fulton – Mary Bromfield
Director(s)
David F. Sandberg
Writer(s)
Henry Gayden
Producer(s)
Peter Safran
Film Festivals
Toronto
Awards & Nominations
29 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (415) | Top Critics (77) | Fresh (372) | Rotten (43)
It’s an interesting departure for Swedish horror director David F. Sandberg (Annabelle: Creation, Lights Out), who proves he has more tricks up his sleeve than just things that go bump in the night.
February 19, 2020
Andrea Gronvall
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Pretty bland… A little too light, fluffy, and negligible.
September 27, 2019
Peter Rainer
FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
TOP CRITIC
…[T]his film melds the unpretentious, dreamy joys of old-time comic books with the sly, rambunctious humor of Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon featurettes…
May 10, 2019
Michael Sragow
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Charming, high-spirited and embraces its youthful, goofy side.
April 21, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/5
Wenlei Ma
News.com.au
TOP CRITIC
Drawing from a wealth of material with more supporting Marvels and hangers-on than can be accommodated in one film, Shazam! picks and mixes with confidence.
April 11, 2019
Kim Newman
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
The stakes in Shazam! aren’t quite world-endingly high but are resonant for their universality, and the film bounces well between kid-focused humor and suitably scary action sequences.
April 8, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/5
Roxana Hadadi
Chesapeake Family Magazine
TOP CRITIC
It’s a tonic to the dour-toned, scattershot entries in the DCEU, and even more so because it doesn’t feel like a building block or puzzle piece in a larger franchise.
March 3, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
Shazam! is not only a film DC needed but a film that may create new fans of the genre.
February 18, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
David Gonzalez
Reel Talk Inc.
It is going to do for the DC universe what Guardians of the Galaxy did for Marvel.
September 30, 2021
Lonita Cook
KCTV5 News at 9
From the moment we meet the foster parents, you can start to feel this heartwarming aura just beginning to grow.
September 4, 2021 | Rating: 8.5/10
Nicholas Oon
Maximum Hype (YouTube)
Shazam! tries to tell two different stories, and although they’re each entertaining on their own, the film would’ve been better served by figuring out which one it most wanted to tell.
August 17, 2021
Rick Marshall
Digital Trends
A blast from start to finish, at least when it’s not bogged down in backstory.
August 17, 2021 | Rating: B
Kip Mooney
College Movie Review…
Plot
In Philadelphia, Billy Batson is an abandoned child who is proving a nuisance to Child Services and the authorities with his stubborn search for his lost mother. However, in his latest foster home, Billy makes a new friend, Freddy, and finds himself selected by the Wizard Shazam to be his new champion. Now endowed with the ability to instantly become an adult superhero by speaking the wizard’s name, Billy gleefully explores his new powers with Freddy. However, Billy soon learns that he has a deadly enemy, Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, who was previously rejected by the wizard and has accepted the power of the Seven Deadly Sins instead. Now pursued by this mad scientist for his own power as well, Billy must face up to the responsibilities of his calling while learning the power of a special magic with his true family that Sivana can never understand.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny comment about the film Shazam! on Fresh Kernels.
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