Kazaam

When a street smart kid named Max tries to outsmart a group of rough kids, he ends up fleeing through back alleys and into an old warehouse. Inside, he finds a battered portable speaker that crackles with strange energy and seems to hum with a hidden life. When Max presses play, the box coughs up Kazaam, a genie who has been kept sealed away for thousands of years. The sudden arrival of a wish granting spirit brings chaos and comic energy to Max's ordinary world, turning his daily problems into magical, and sometimes unpredictable, challenges. The unlikely duo must juggle friendship, responsibility, and the genie's powerful antics without letting trouble overwhelm them. They must learn to stay true to themselves.

Directed by Paul Michael Glaser, Kazaam. The film comes from an original screenplay by Christian Ford and Roger Soffer, bringing a big screen take on a genie’s caper aimed at family audiences. Released by TriStar, it mixed humor and spectacle.

Over time Kazaam has become a touchstone for mid 90s family fantasies and a reference point for box office flops. Shaq's larger than life persona paired with a talking genie created a clash of mood that sparked memes and discussions about casting, tone, and audience expectations, cementing its trivia status.

Critics greeted Kazaam with lukewarm notices, noting its clean family focus yet uneven humor and pacing. The film centers on a boy and a genie as they tackle power, responsibility, and friendship, using a wish granting spirit to explore consequences while maintaining a light hearted, accessible tone for younger moviegoers.

The film grossed approximately 18.9 million worldwide against a 20 million budget, resulting in a financial underperformance for its release window and did not recoup production costs theatrically, despite a broad family audience appeal, and remains a notable curiosity today.