Shazam 2 director “surprised” by low Rotten Tomatoes score

Shazam 2 – aka Shazam Fury of the Gods – gave its director his lowest Rotten Tomatoes score ever, but general audiences have rated it far higher.

The DCEU has had a tough run of it. From its launch point, Man of Steel didn’t seem to connect with critics, landing at 53% on Rotten Tomatoes. This kicked off a trend of poor scores, with a few exceptions: Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey, The Suicide Squad, and Peacemaker.

Notably, 2019’s Shazam pulled off a superb 90% score, making it the second-highest-rated movie in the franchise. It was also a financial success, grossing more than $360 million worldwide.

Its sequel has not enjoyed the same fanfare, opening at $65 million globally and receiving less-than-glowing reviews – and the director is “surprised” by the response.

Shazam Fury of the Gods director says “it’s a good film”

In a Twitter thread, David F. Sandberg responded to the Shazam 2’s score on Rotten Tomatoes: 52% from more than 180 reviews, while its audience score is close to 90%.

“On Rotten Tomatoes I just got my lowest critic score and my highest audience score on the same film. I wasn’t expecting a repeat of the first movie critically but I was still a little surprised because I think it’s a good film. Oh well,” he wrote.

“As I’ve been saying for a while now I’m very eager to go back to horror (as well as trying some new things). After six years of Shazam I’m definitely done with superheroes for now.”

Sandberg clarified that he doesn’t have any regrets about making both Shazam movies. “I’ve learned so much and gotten to work with some truly amazing people. Will forever be grateful that I got to direct two of these! They’ve been very challenging but valuable experiences,” he added.

“One thing I’ve really been looking forward to is disconnecting from the superhero discourse online. A lot of that stresses me out so much and it will be nice not having to think about that anymore.”

Shazam Fury of the Gods is in cinemas now, while you can read more of our coverage below…

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