With “Aquaman 2: Lost Kingdom,” DC and Warner Bros. a big cinema hit planned for the Christmas business, but unfortunately that did not materialize. While James Wan’s superhero spectacle with Jason Momoa was cursed by bad press before its theatrical release, the box office results of the opening weekend after December 21, 2023 confirmed the worst expectations about the performance of the action hit: with about 27.7 million dollars. , the film even trailed the record-breakingly bad opening weekend of the MCU adventure “The Marvels.”
After two weeks in cinemas around the world, ‘Aquaman 2’ continues to sink in the cinema charts and is currently only number 3 on the charts in Germany behind ‘Raus aus dem Teich’ and ‘Wonka’. Still, ‘Aquaman 2’ can still claim success, which should at least bring some joy to DC – namely landing before the Marvel flop of 2023 and leaving ‘The Marvels’ behind at the international box office.
An undignified ending for the DCEU
With a worldwide box office gross of $258.2 million, “Aquaman 2” grossed more than $50 million more after two weeks in theaters than “The Marvels” did during its entire theatrical run. Nia DaCosta’s ‘Captain Marvel’ sequel barely crossed the $200 million mark worldwide, making it the weakest box office showing for an MCU film to date.
But considering ‘Aquaman 2’ started with a production budget of around $200 million, which also includes a hefty advertising budget, this consolation is certainly tenuous. We can’t wait to see how James Wan’s superhero sequel continues to perform in theaters and what numbers the DCEU will finally end with before James Gunn begins a new DC universe soon.