Directors James Wan and star Jason Momoa join forces again for DC’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. In Thursday’s previews, the sequel earned a meek $4.5 million at the box office from 3,040 theaters.
The expectations of the Warner Bros. film have changed from a $50-$60 million opening to a $40 million premiere, via Deadline, making it a far cry from the first Aquaman’s $67 million over the Christmas weekend back in 2018; it grossed $335.1 million domestically and $1.15 billion globally. Anchored by bad reviews, Aquaman 2 ends the year on a rough note of this year’s dismal Superhero genre.
Compared to the first Aquaman, which scored a 66% rotten tomato rating from critics, Aquaman 2 received a 36%. On a brighter note, the film’s opening is an improvement from this year’s DCEU releases, Blue Beetle and Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Blue Beetle earned $25.4 million on its first weekend in August and the Shazam! sequel $30 million in March. With DC Studios rebranding the DC Universe, Aquaman won’t get a threequel as their first project launching in 2025 will introduce us to a new Superman in Superman: Legacy.
On top of the year-end film mix, the animated Universal Picture’s Migration grossed $1.5 million in Thursday previews from 3,050 locations. However, the final verdict for the family flick won’t be rendered until New Year’s weekend. The romantic comedy Anyone But You from Colombia/Sony, starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, premiered with $1.2 million with A24’s wrestling drama The Iron Claw, starring Zac Efron, earning $650,00 in previews from 2,100 locations. Both are expected to open within the $6 million spectrum. According to Variety, the holiday week films will unlikely end the year with a gross passing the $9 billion mark.
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