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'Shazam!' has bigger opening weekend than 'Aquaman' at the UK box office

‘Shazam!’ has landed at the top of the UK box office in the wake of a £4m opening weekend
‘Shazam!’ has landed at the top of the UK box office in the wake of a £4m opening weekend

DC superhero blockbuster Shazam! has landed triumphantly at the top of the UK box office following its opening weekend, smashing the opening achieved by its predecessor Aquaman.

The film, starring Zachary Levi and directed by horror veteran David F. Sandberg, has delivered DC and Warner Bros a £4m box office debut, with a stellar site average of £6,634, according to Screen.

James Wan’s Aquaman managed £3.8m over its own opening weekend in December 2018, going on to achieve a total of £21.8m on these shores, as part of a mammoth $1.1bn (£879m) haul worldwide.

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Shazam! knocked Disney adventure Dumbo off the top spot in the UK, though Tim Burton’s film still pulled in an impressive £3.5m.

Stephen King adaptation Pet Sematary landed in third place with £1.3m, while superhero rival Captain Marvel came fourth with £1.2m in its fifth week of play to bolster a total that currently sits at £34.6m.

The Shazam! opening landed below the previous DCEU debuts of Wonder Woman (£4.94m), Justice League (£7.26m) and the gargantuan £14.62m opening weekend posted by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Jack Dylan Grazer and Zachary Levi star in DC’s ‘Shazam!’, which has debuted well at the global box office.
Jack Dylan Grazer and Zachary Levi star in DC’s ‘Shazam!’, which has debuted well at the global box office.

Over in the States, Shazam! pulled in $56.8m (£43.6m) as it made its multiplex bow, including preview screenings.

With the preview numbers removed, this puts the film as the lowest opener under the DC Films banner.

However, the studio will remain pleased as the film had a considerably smaller budget than previous DC superhero efforts and was tracking for a lower opening than what it ultimately managed.

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Critics and audiences have both been impressed by the film, which has earned a 92% positive score from review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and an A grade from audience survey body Cinemascore.