Even though the only thing that’s changed is a release date shift of five days, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has immediately been pinpointed as another disaster waiting to happen for the DCU.
It seems bizarre when the conversation wasn’t happening this time yesterday, but Warner Bros. loading up on three potential smash hits within the space of a couple of weeks could see the studio cannibalize its own chances of success. Not only that, but following the dismal performance of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, are audiences going to care about watching the final chapter in a franchise that’s been confirmed for a reboot?
What works in The Lost Kingdom‘s favor is that it’s the sequel to the single highest-grossing DC Comics adaptation there’s ever been, although the jury remains out as to whether Jason Momoa’s return as Arthur Curry will even reside in the same stratosphere in terms of numbers when the dust settles.
People love to be negative, though, with Timothée Chalamet’s turn in upcoming fantasy musical Wonka being singled out as the burgundy-colored straw that could potentially break the back of Aquaman 2.
The DCU going out with a whimper as opposed to a bang would ironically sum up the consistently inconsistent nature of Hollywood’s other premiere shared superhero universe, but it would be preferable for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom to at least come close to living up to its illustrious and massively profitable predecessor.
Based on what happened to Fury of the Gods, we won’t have a proper idea until we see how Blue Beetle fares this summer.
