Blue Beetle Soars Past Shazam 2 in Just 3 Weeks, Proving It's the Ultimate DCU Success!

Summary

Blue Beetle surpasses Shazam! 2 at the domestic box office, already reaching $58.3 million in four days.

Despite surpassing the earnings of Shazam!, Blue Beetle still requires further revenue to recoup its $104 million production expense. The accomplishment of Blue Beetle follows a series of unsuccessful box office performances by DC films, including Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and The Flash.

Blue Beetle has surpassed the domestic box office earnings of Shazam! 2. This DC superhero film tells the story of Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña), who gains access to a powerful exoskeleton after bonding with an alien scarab. Blue Beetle premiered on August 18, following the underperformance of three consecutive DC releases at the box office: Black Adam (earning $393 million on a budget of approximately $260 million, excluding publicity costs), Shazam! Fury of the Gods (earning $133.8 million on a budget of $125 million), and The Flash (earning $268.5 million on a budget of roughly $220 million).

According to Deadline, the cumulative domestic box office earnings of Blue Beetle are projected to reach $58.3 million by the end of the four-day weekend. This surpasses the total domestic earnings of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which earned $57.6 million earlier this year. However, it should be noted that although Blue Beetle has exceeded Shazam! 2 in domestic earnings, it still has a long way to go in order to recoup its production budget of $104.4 million, even when considering international box office revenues.

The Old DCEU Has One More Chance To Score a Hit After Blue Beetle - Will It?

The DC franchise, formerly known as the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), is at a pivotal moment. Under the management of new DC Studios co-chairmen and co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran, it is set to undergo a soft relaunch as the DC Universe (DCU). The relaunch will commence with the release of Superman: Legacy on July 11, 2025, a film written and directed by Gunn. However, movies developed under the DCEU have continued to be released in theaters, with only one remaining.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be the final DCEU film before the transition to the DCU. Following a series of underwhelming releases, this movie represents the franchise's last attempt at a successful hit. It is worth noting that the film has an advantage: it is a sequel to the 2018 Aquaman, which remains the highest-grossing movie in the entire DCEU, earning $1.14 billion at the global box office.

Aquaman 2 holds an upper hand over Blue Beetle, yet faces multiple challenges. Aside from the ongoing Hollywood strikes that could potentially impede actors from promoting the movie due to fair pay disputes lingering into December, the delayed sequel might struggle as it remains tethered to a franchise that lacks a significant presence and uncertain prospects for its characters. Additionally, the media scrutiny surrounding co-star Amber Heard, fueled by the televised defamation hearing with her ex-husband Johnny Depp, may also deter some viewers from engaging with the project.