In addition to its box office woes, James Wan’s Aquaman and Fallen Kingdom have officially tied the DCEU’s unfortunate audience record.
generalize
- “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” struggled at the box office, matching the series’ low point.
- The lackluster financial performance was consistent with early audience response, earning the film a low CinemaScore of “B”.
- The marketing campaign for the sequel may have alienated a wider audience, while the promise of a DCU reboot may have also deterred fans from seeing the film.
The last DCEU movie, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom reached a franchise low point, which explains why it struggled so much at the box office. The belated sequel to James Wan’s 2018 billion-dollar blockbuster caps off the original DCEU film schedule with the James Gunn and Peter Safran-helmed DCU reboot The edition will kick off in 2024. While DCEU fans have a chance to celebrate the series’ swan song, there seems to be little chance that original audiences are actually returning to theaters to watch the sequel.
The lackluster financial performance was in line with early audience reaction, according to market research firm CinemaScore.Their usual audience polls confirmed the DCEU’s all-time record, tying it with a CinemaScore of “B” flash and Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. CinemaScore polled opening-day audiences in 25 major cities in the United States and Canada, asking participants to fill out scorecards in theaters immediately after watching the movie. This score is then used to help predict box office performance and aggregate anecdotal audience experience scores.
CinemaScore for every DCEU movie | |
|---|---|
man of Steel | A- |
batman v superman | Second |
suicide squad | B+ |
wonder woman | A |
Justice League | B+ |
Neptune | A- |
Shazam! | A |
raptor | B+ |
Wonder Woman 1984 | B+ |
suicide squad | B+ |
black adam | B+ |
Shazam!wrath of the gods | B+ |
flash | Second |
blue beetle | B+ |
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom | Second |
Related “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” ending explained (detailed) The ending of “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” brings the DCEU series to an end. The aquatic king of Atlantis played by Jason Momoa will face Black Manta.
Why so few Aquaman fans go to see Lost Kingdom
Aquaman and the Lost KingdomEarly box office performance was the result of a combination of factors. The marketing campaign is decidedly low-key compared to the original film and may alienate a wider audience. With the prospect of a DCCU reboot looming ever closer, DC fans could be forgiven for having no reason to commit to the sequel. After all, what is really at stake when nothing matters in the grand scheme of things? To make matters worse, Aquaman has been the butt of several ill-timed jokes in successive DCEU movies.
Justice League, peacemakerand Shazam!wrath of the gods Everyone made unnecessary jokes at the expense of Aquaman’s superpowers, and The Flash’s The closing credits depict him as a drunken fool.
Some expected that the necessarily limited market over Christmas and Christmas Eve (due to shortened opening hours) might lead to better box office performance in the near future, but this will not be the case NeptuneA total of US$1.152 billion. The film is far from bad, but it feels like it’s trying too hard to generate real interest and doesn’t get the kind of rave early reviews that would have made an impact.Unfortunately, as ScreenRant’s aquaman 2 Jason Momoa returns as Arthur Curry, which means the DCEU ends not with a bang, but with a damp whimper, according to reviews.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Aquaman and the Fallen Kingdom is the sequel to the 2018 film, with Jason Momoa reprising his role as Arthur Curry (aka Aquaman). In the film, Aquaman is forced to form a tense alliance with new allies to protect his kingdom and world of Atlantis from total destruction.
Release date December 22, 2023
Rated PG-13
Film length: 124 minutes
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Now playing in theaters.