Agree - the first was much better than I expected, and alas, better than most of the DC films - it was lighter and more in keeping with the Arrowverse. Considering the nitch/target audience was turned off by Shazam II - that kind of says it all? I've not tried it as of yet. So don't know. I do know - that it is really hard for an actor or filmmaker to know how well their film will hit audiences. (Although some figure it out - Downy Jr seems to have begun to figure it out - he knew Dr. Doolittle would bomb - it was apparently a film they got stuck in and couldn't get out of, and was a result of bad business partners.)
Part of the difficulty with Shazam is audiences have burned out on the super-hero/CGI laden genre. If this summer tells us anything - it's that - super-hero fatigue has set in. There's been too many super-hero films. Some people - the people who just love super-hero films regardless, and are die-hard fans of the genre, will go. But other's will get burned out and do something else. (I've reached that point and I happen to love the genre. But it's kind of - I don't know, grown stale? I got bored in Guardians. Not that Quantumania was much better. And Black Adam...sigh. And I've yet to make it throw Secret Invasion or to attempt Loki. I think Marvel and DC burned me out finally? I've gone back to the comics.)
One of the many reasons Barbie and Oppenheimer have taken off is neither is CGI laden nor do they feature superheroes. Both are more, dare we say it, dialogue driven?
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branchandroot
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Date: 2023-08-19 02:30 am (UTC)Part of the difficulty with Shazam is audiences have burned out on the super-hero/CGI laden genre. If this summer tells us anything - it's that - super-hero fatigue has set in. There's been too many super-hero films. Some people - the people who just love super-hero films regardless, and are die-hard fans of the genre, will go. But other's will get burned out and do something else. (I've reached that point and I happen to love the genre. But it's kind of - I don't know, grown stale? I got bored in Guardians. Not that Quantumania was much better. And Black Adam...sigh. And I've yet to make it throw Secret Invasion or to attempt Loki. I think Marvel and DC burned me out finally? I've gone back to the comics.)
One of the many reasons Barbie and Oppenheimer have taken off is neither is CGI laden nor do they feature superheroes. Both are more, dare we say it, dialogue driven?