Variety: ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ Sets Streaming Release Date on HBO Max

Story from Variety:

The thunder is hitting HBO Max.

“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” is arriving on the streamer, which will soon be renamed to Max, on May 23. Although the DC Comics adaptation opened at No. 1 at the box office, it flew in lower than its predecessor, barely cracking a $30 million debut.

Starring Zachary Levi, the film sees Billy Batson (Levi and Asher Angel) and his foster siblings using their transformative powers to take on the Daughters of Atlas, who threaten to destroy the world. Rachel Zegler, Adam Brody, Lucy Liu and Helen Mirren round out the film’s cast, while David F. Sandberg returns as director.

In addition to a disappointing debut (particularly notable considering its hefty $125 million production budget), critical responses are also a step down from the praise that met the original. “Fury of the Gods” currently carries a 26% approval rating from top critics on review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. The film also earned a “B+” rating through research firm Cinema Score, a decline from the first film’s “A” grade.

“The villains are defeated, the mythology is fulfilled, but the real story here is that a superhero saga that seemed to hold out possibilities of lifesize quirkiness and delight winds up getting squashed into the shape of any other superhero franchise,” Variety film critic Owen Gleiberman wrote in his review. “The force that does that is the true power that needs to be defeated.”

If you’re not interested in signing up for an HBO Max account to stream the film come May, it’s also currently available to rent or buy on-demand on Prime Video, home to the original film. Prime Video also offers a 7-day free trial to HBO Max for those looking for a more affordable way to binge both films.

Stream “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” on HBO Max starting May 23.