Don’t count out the King of Atlantis. December 2023 saw Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom arrive to muted audience reactions and harsh reviews, and yet the sequel from under the sea has quietly refused to sink down to the depths.
As the final entry in the old-school DCEU, aka the SnyderVerse, prior to James Gunn’s incoming DCU reboot, Aquaman 2 seemed doomed to close off the 10-year-old franchise in poor health. However, while there’s zero chance of James Wan’s follow-up managing to match the $1.15 billion gross of its 2018 predecessor, The Lost Kindom isn’t so much a lost cause as was expected. Its latest unexpected box office achievement has even seen it outdo the total of an infamous DC flop from 2022.
Four weeks into its theatrical run, Aquaman 2 has earned itself $396.2 million worldwide, as per Deadline. This means that the film has now surpassed the figure amassed by Black Adam once it had exited cinemas — $393.5 million. While Lost Kingdom still can’t be called an unqualified success, the fact that it will safely cross the $400m mark with a budget of around $210 million while Black Adam couldn’t do that when costs skyrocketed to upwards of $260 million is yet another blow for The Rock’s failed franchise-starter.
Jason Momoa and Aquaman probably have a DCU future, unlike Dwayne Johnson
One of the first things Gunn (and producing partner Peter Safran) did when they took control of DC was to cut ties with Johnson, who briefly looked to become a new creative head of the universe himself. Unfortunately, even The Rock’s clout wasn’t enough to protect him after Black Adam underperformed to such an extent, proving that audiences perhaps just weren’t all that interested in this corner of DC.
On the other hand, while Aquaman 2 hasn’t set multiplexes alight in the same way as the original, clearly movie-goers still have some residual affection for the character of Arthur Curry and for his film’s inventive and vibrant visuals and mythology. It’s no surprise, then, that Momoa looks set to return to the DCU in some way, although smart money’s on him being recast as Lobo and not reprising Aquaman.
Even so, as we’re getting new versions of Superman and Batman as well, Gunn would be wise not to keep the Atlantean monarch off movie screens for too long. Kudos to Aquaman 2 for reminding us that though the DC kingdom might’ve had a few bumps in the road recently, it’s definitely not lost for good.