The majority of the general public aren't familiar with Shazam. He's not a particularly well-known character, nor does he have the sideways appeal of a B-list hero with A-list potential (Iron Man, for example). It's been said that a movie featuring this hero - who is a more playful than characters like Batman and Superman - wouldn't be quite so serious, but the issue isn't with the tone of the film... it's getting people into the theatres to actually see it. Yes, Shazam has one great thing going for it, and that's the casting of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as villain Black Adam. Johnson has big box office appeal, and a super clever marketing campaign aside, he's the best chance that Warner Bros. have at getting people into the theatre to see a film about a relatively unknown superhero. Now Warner Bros. just need to find somebody appropriate to play opposite him - an admittedly difficult task.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
