Shazam! Sequel Pushed Back to Avoid Clash with Avatar: The Way of Water

Shazam!: Fury of the Gods was set to come out in the middle of December, but after yesterday’s Avatar reveal, it looks like WB doesn’t want to go up against one of the highest earning box office franchises of all time.

According to Deadline, the Shazam! sequel has moved from its original December 17 release date to come out on December 21, 2022.  While no official reason has been announced, a lot of fans are convinced that it’s because they don’t want to compete with Avatar: The Way of Water.

If anything, director David F. Sanberg seems to have a good sense of humor about it:

You’re welcome Cameron! https://t.co/dYzBCrLyZS

— David F. Sandberg (@ponysmasher) April 27, 2022

When it comes to either film’s success, I think it will depend a lot on the marketing. Shazam! had drawn an audience by having a fun marketing campaign advertising ‘Big but with Superman’; they’ll probably have to go through a different angle when it comes to Fury of the Gods.

As for Avatar 2, the franchise does spin off one of the biggest movies of all time, but Avatar has admittedly not cemented its place in pop-culture as of late. They will need a massive marketing push if they want fans to eagerly jump back into the world of Pandora.

With Way of Water looking to advertise in front of the upcoming Doctor Strange movie, WB better start marketing Shazam! 2 soon.

Avatar: The Way of Water comes to theaters on Dec. 17. Shazam! Fury of the Gods is set to release on Dec. 21.