Summary
- Aquaman 2 has exceeded expectations at the box office, earning a total of $396.2 million worldwide and surpassing projections.
- Despite initial predictions of failure, Aquaman 2 has outperformed other superhero films, including The Flash, and is on track to break even for the studio.
- The success of Aquaman 2 demonstrates the unexpected competence of the film and brings hope to DC studio execs, although it still falls short of the 2018 Aquaman's success.
Aquaman 2's box office gross hit a milestone that no one expected it to reach as it nears the completion of its Snyderverse-ending theatrical run.
Aquaman 2 was always destined to fall short of its predecessor, with virtually no chance of hitting the same billion-dollar high that the 2018 film delivered at the height of Zack Snyder's DCEU. With the franchise discontinued in favor of new DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran's reimagined DCU and a long string of DC flops leading up to its December 2023 holiday release, it was almost universally agreed that Aquaman 2 had been set up to fail. Initial predictions saw the film perform dismally, with numbers indicating that it might be the worst in a year full of box office disasters for the superhero genre.
While early indicators seemed to confirm the worst, with Aquaman 2's Thursday previews being comparatively bad even amongst the preceding superhero film flops The Flash and The Marvels, the sequel has managed to exceed expectations. As reported by Deadline in its international box office roundup, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has brought in an unexpected $282 million total from overseas markets, combined with domestic box office draws of $114.2 million to equal a total box office pull of $396.2 million. This means that the film is all but guaranteed to hit the $400 million mark, a feat that it achieved in only four weeks and one that puts it well past many of the DCEU's final stretch of box office flops, such as the Dwayne Johnson-led Black Adam.
Aquaman 2's box office gross already surpassed expectations when it crossed the $300 million mark to dominate the field and outdo The Flash, a film that many expected to be the crowning jewel of the DCEU and a direct cause of the lackluster hype surrounding Aquaman 2 and Blue Beetle, two projects set to release after the Ezra Miller-led film purportedly rebooted the DCEU on-screen. With the new numbers in, Aquaman 2 has again proved naysayers wrong by keeping some momentum up after the holiday season, and it is close to breaking even for the studio, with no egregious additions to its $215 million production budget due to marketing.
Aquaman 2 was predicted to fare worse than The Marvels but has since pushed through and put up numbers that the top brass at Marvel Studios wish the latter had managed. While it’s still nowhere near impressive nor even remotely reminiscent of the success of the 2018 Aquaman, it’s hard to imagine that DC studio execs aren’t happy with the film’s unexpected competence at the box office.
With the Aquaman 2 digital release date nearing, lightning might strike thrice for the film if it garners the attention that The Flash did on the digital release, possibly making the underdog film an even better success story. However, while this seems like a respite for the studio, it remains to be seen how the superhero genre will fare when the new DCU finally brings fans back to theaters.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is currently available in theaters worldwide.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
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- December 22, 2023
WHERE TO WATCH
Black Manta seeks revenge on Aquaman for his father's death. Wielding the Black Trident's power, he becomes a formidable foe. To defend Atlantis, Aquaman allies with his imprisoned brother. They must protect the kingdom.
Source: Deadline