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Film · 2019 · DC Universe (5 of 12)

Shazam!

Directed by David F. Sandberg · starring Manuel Rodriguez-Saenz, Zachary Levi and Asher Angel

2 h 12 min
12
Fantasy · Comedy · Action
USA
Released in the UK 4 April 2019

7.6 AverageMovieNCo
7.5 Users34 votes
7.7 Critics12 reviews

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Synopsis

Billy Batson, a 14-year-old boy living in Philadelphia and causing non-stop trouble for both social services and the local authorities in his search for his lost mother, is chosen by the Wizard Shazam to be his champion. Every time that Billy yells the word "SHAZAM!" he is transformed into an adult superhero. With his friend from the foster home, Freddy, Billy runs riot with his new powers, pushing them to their limits. However, the fun stops when Billy finds out that great powers come with even greater enemies. Billy's newfound nemesis is Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, a man who still harbours ill will towards the Wizard Shazam, who rejected Thaddeus as his champion years earlier, which resulted in Thaddeus choosing to harness the power of the Seven Deadly Sins (Greed, Pride, Lust, Gluttony, Envy Sloth and Wrath) instead.

Billy soon realises that being a superhero comes with responsibilities as he must learn the true significance of his powers in the fight against Sivana.

'Shazam!' is directed by David F. Sandberg ('Lights Out') and stars Zachary Levi ('The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'), Mark Strong ('Kingsman'), Asher Angel ('Andi Mack'), Jack Dylan Grazer ('Me, Myself and I'), Adam Brody ('The OC') and Djimon Hounsou ('Guardians of the Galaxy').

Where to watch Shazam!

All the options

Available now in the UK:

Availability checked on 8 November 2026.

The essentials

Runtime: 132 min2 hours and 12 minutes
Budget: $80mWarner Bros. Pictures
Box office: $140m1.7 times its budget
Rating: 12Suitable for 12 years and over

How long is Shazam!?: 2 hours and 12 minutes (132 minutes).
When was Shazam! released in the UK?: It was released in the UK on 4 April 2019.
Who directed Shazam!?: David F. Sandberg.
Who is in Shazam!?: It stars Manuel Rodriguez-Saenz, Zachary Levi, Asher Angel and Mark Strong.
Where can I watch Shazam!?: In the UK it is available with a subscription on HBO Max, with a channel on Now and a channel on Prime Video and to rent on Apple TV.
How much did Shazam! make?: It took $140 million in US. It cost $80 million.
Is it part of a series?: Yes: it is film 5 of 12 in DC Universe.

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Cast

Director: David F. Sandberg
Writers: Henry Gayden, Darren Lemke
Producers: Dany Garcia, Geoff Johns, Dwayne Johnson, Peter Safran

Videos and trailers

'Shazam!' trailer #2 0:5320 January 2019

Photos and posters

+19 photosand 7 posters

Reviews

7.5 34 votes

109 %
99 %
832 %
729 %
69 %
≤512 %

What the critics say average 7.7 from 12 outlets

9.0 VarietyOwen Gleiberman A light, funny, grounded, engagingly unpretentious sleight-of-hand action comedy Read
9.0 The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck Proves so determinedly ebullient you begin to think they're pumping laughing gas into the auditorium. The most kid-friendly DC movie so far, the film is thoroughly entertaining. Read
6.0 The GuardianBenjamin Lee It?s a film in need of a tighter edit with a script in need of a sharper polish, an imperfect franchise-launcher that nonetheless represents significant progress for DC Read

Box office

Weekend by weekend

Budget $80m
US $140m
UK £13.2m

The DC Universe films

Soundtrack

Do You Hear What I Hear?Bing Crosby Spotify
The Real ThingCook Classics, featuring, Outasight Spotify
FeelsCalvin Harris, featuring, Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry, Big Sean Spotify
BounceSweatbeatz featuring, Dia Hodari, Ricardo Spicer Spotify

Trivia

The meaning behind Shazam's name

"Shazam" is the magic word that turns Billy Batson into a superhero. Shazam is an acronym of the names of all the Greek gods that give him his powers: the "s" of Solomon (wisdon), the "h" of Hercules (strength), the "a" of Atlas (stamina), the "z" of Zeus (the power of creating lighting), the "a" of Achilles (will) and the "m" of Mercury (speed).
Director David F. Sandberg

'Shazam!' is the first blockbuster for director David F. Sandberg. As well as his directorial debut outside of the horror genre.
Black Adam

Originally, 'Shazam' was gonna tell the origin of the superhero and his nemesis Black Adam (played by The Rock), however, producers decided to separate both origin stories into to different movies.
Captain Marvel

Both DC Comics and Marvel Comics have a hero called Captain Marvel, whose films star Djimon Hounsou and release in 2019. DC's Captain Marvel is the original, first hitting stands in 1939. DC renamed their New 52/Rebirth version of "Captain Marvel" to "Shazam" in 2012, due in part to Marvel holding the trademark on the name. However, DC still produces versions named Captain Marvel in print and animation.
'Big' & 'Stranger Things'

The filmmakers cite the teen fantasies 'Big' (1988) and 'Stranger Things' (2016) as an influence on the film.

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