Zachary Levi finally shares his reaction to the negative comments Shazam! 2 received after failing at the box office. That said, the actor cast doubts if he’s going to reprise his role in the future DC Extended Universe movies due to the poor reception of Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
The first Shazam! movie was a critical and commercial success when released in 2019 and became one of the best-reviewed DCEU movies. However, Shazam! 2 was the complete opposite, only making $133 million worldwide and receiving a mixed response from fans and critics alike, only getting a 49% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Zachary Levi Reacts to Shazam! 2 Negative Reviews
In a recent interview with The FilmUp Podcast, Levi recalled his conversation with DC Films President Walter Hamada and how they ended up doing a sequel with all the Greek gods. “I thought it was really fun,” he said.
Sure, he enjoyed doing the film but couldn’t help but be saddened by the negative critic reviews. He even called people “insanely unkind” due to their comments.
“I mean, the audience score is still quite good, but the critic score was, I don’t know, very oddly and perplexingly low and people were insanely unkind,” he continued.
Zachary Levi Noticed a Major Shift in How Fans Review Movies on Social Media
With the negative comments Shazam! 2 received, Levi noticed a major change in how fans review movies on social media. The 42-year-old felt like people only wanted to see a movie fail instead of giving fair criticisms.
He explained:
I think, even just the world from the first movie to the second movie, the world has shifted so much, social media has shifted so much, online hate and haters and trolls and factions and all that has just gotten more and more galvanized in its toxicity and I think that there are people that genuinely, unfortunately, want to just destroy certain projects because they don’t like them, or they don’t like me, or they don’t like other people involved with them instead of being like ‘Listen, I don’t like that person, but that’s a good movie’ or whatever. They just try to shift the narrative so they can be powerful.
Will Zachary Levi return as Shazam?
With all the criticisms, Levi seemed unsure of his future in DCEU films. He believed his fate under the DC Studios depended on Shazam! 2’s success.
"I don't know what the future holds because Fury of the Gods was not well received," he admitted. "I have no idea where we go from here."
However, he’s still convinced that if the viewers watch Fury of the Gods again after its unsuccessful release, people may see it in a different light. "It’ll be one of those things that people will go back and watch, on home streaming or on a plane or whatever, and they’ll be like, 'Well, wait a minute!'" he continued.
James Gunn and Peter Safran are now at the helm of DC Studios, and the two have already announced their plans to reboot the DCEU canon. There are no words yet if Levi will return as Billy Batson after his two Shazam! movies, considering he’s not part of Chapter One: Gods and Monsters slate. However, as nothing is confirmed yet, there may still be a possibility.
