The marketing of Shazam! is the subject of my latest column at The Hollywood Reporter.

With an opening weekend estimated to bring in between $45 and $55 million, Warner Bros. and DC is hoping lightning strikes at the box office as it brings an unconventional super hero story to theaters. To bring people out it has mounted a campaign that has played into the character’s hopefulness and playfulness, focusing on the wish fulfillment of being able to turn yourself into a hero but also the responsibility that comes with it.

via ‘Shazam!’ Marketing Sells the DC Film As the Anti-‘Justice League’ | Hollywood Reporter