When the first Aquaman film hit theaters in 2018, it proved to be a massive success. The dazzling spectacle solidified Jason Momoa as a leading man and opened up the possibility of a new franchise for another iconic DC character. Amazingly, the movie brought in over $1.1 billion against a budget of approximately $160 million. Of course, this paved the way for a sequel.
However, as Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom enters its second week in movie theaters, it’s looking very unlikely that the film will match the gross of the first entry. As we dive into the numbers, we will also look into the critical reception to the movie. Given that the first movie struck a somewhat positive balance between critical acclaim and impressive box office numbers, we’ll need to look into the finer details to see if the sequel is on the same path.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Has Made $258.3m at the Global Box Office
On its opening weekend, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom caused concern for its producers right out of the gate. The film opened to $27.7 million domestically, which is under half the $67.8 million the first movie made in its opening. This underperforming path carried on when the movie opened in China. After its release in the country, Aquaman 2 made $30 million in its opening, massively below the $93 million that the first movie made in its opening in China in 2018. By December 30, 2023, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom had only made 12% of what the first movie totalled, a worrying number that projected the film’s underwhelming numbers. Now approaching the end of its second week and meandering into the new year, let’s look further into the box office figures.
As of December 31, 2023, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has started to perform better than expected. However, it still hasn’t lived up to its predecessor’s box office megahit. After debuting in Australia, the estimated figures brought in are around $8.4 million, working its way to a clear number 1 in the country. Additionally, in further overseas markets like Holland, France, and Mexico, the movie has generated an estimated $50.5 million across 22,437 screens. To date, the global run for Aquaman 2 is $258.3 million (including Monday estimates for the Domestic Holiday weekend).
Unveiling the Competition for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
As we mentioned, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom soared to number 1 in Australia, rising ahead of the likes of Black Adam, and more than doubling the opening weekend of smash hits like The Flash and Meg 2: The Trench. However, if we look at global takings, with $23.9 million over the weekend and an estimated $31 million through New Year’s Day, Wonka returned the top spot on the domestic box office rankings, showcasing that audiences are choosing to see this film in the New Year instead of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. So, as of the time of this writing, Wonka beats Aquaman 2 in the final 2023 matchup, bringing in $386.9 million globally.
Is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom a Critical Success?
While the majority of comic book adaptation movies land big at the box office, they don’t always fare well with critics. However, over the last few years, acceptance has started to grow. The fact that movies like Black Panther have been nominated for Academy Awards proves that critics are starting to warm to this type of material. In 2018, Aquaman soared at the box office but received mixed reviews from critics. As of the time of this writing, it holds a Metascore of 55/100. However, its sequel has fell 12 points below, currently scoring 43/100. On Rotten Tomatoes, as of now, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom holds a weak Tomatometer of 36%. This is based on 183 critic reviews. If we compare this to Aquaman 1’s Tomatometer of 66%, it’s fair to say the sequel is less critically accepted.
So, many would hypothesise that a string of negative reviews could have hurt the box office numbers of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Especially when you consider high profile sites like Forbes have panned the movie, stating that the movie “plays all of the “greatest hits” from the first film, if the selections were made based on what’s loudest and easiest for the audience to sing along.” However, the movie currently holds an impressive audience score of 80%, meaning the majority of people who have seen the movie enjoyed it. So, perhaps word of mouth will prevail and the numbers will pick up. However, it is looking extremely unlikely that the movie will come close to the gross of 2018’s Aquaman.
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