Never trust a Warner Bros release date. The studio has developed a reputation in recent years for repeatedly delaying and reshuffling its release calendar, with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav going scorched earth on existing plans.
Last night two bombshells landed for DCEU fans: we’ll have to wait nine more months for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which slips from March 17 to December 25, 2023 and its March spot will be filled by Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which will now no longer release on December 21.
Industry gossip suggests a number of reasons for this move, including Warner Bros wanting to repeat the success of March 2022 release The Batman, and that the studio wants to avoid directly competing with Avatar: The Way of Water. Director David F. Sandberg is being positive (despite being a self-described “impatient bastard”), pointing out that dodging the Avatar sequel will mean they can open on IMAX:
The new release schedule means the upcoming order of DCEU movies is now Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, though who knows how long this will last. It must be intensely frustrating to work hard to a deadline and then get it delayed so much, though at least this gives the VFX teams enough time to polish the action to a mirror sheen.
Whether it’s a smart idea to run scared from Avatar: The Way of Water is also up for debate, as many question whether a sequel 13 years on from the original will draw in audiences. But Warner Bros. is smart not to bet against James Cameron, as every time the industry has predicted disaster, his movies have gone on to smash box office records.
