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Writer's pictureAaron Fonseca

Aquaman 2 Sets Major Record for the DCEU Despite Box Office Struggles

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Per Screen Rant, The Lost Kingdom has now earned close to $115 million domestically since its release last holiday season, grossing twice as much in North America as any other DCEU follow-up. The next closest DCEU sequel to The Lost Kingdom is Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which earned $57.6 million domestically, followed by The Suicide Squad, which brought in $55.8 million.


Aquaman 2 Will Likely Break Even

Though The Lost Kingdom, which sees Jason Momoa reprise his role as Arthur Curry, has been widely panned by critics, the Aquaman sequel is closing on another milestone as it's international gross stands at $398 million. Should The Lost Kingdom break the $400 million mark as expected, it's been reported that figure will be enough for the DCEU blockbuster to break even after a sluggish start. The sequel will likely stay locked in as the 7th-highest-grossing DCEU movie ever globally after recently passing Black Adam ($393 million), with Justice League ($657.9 million far ahead in 6th place.

The Lost Kingdom centers around the uneasy alliance between Arthur and his embattled brother Orm Marius (Patrick Wilson) as they battle The Black Manta (Yahya Abdul Mateen II) to protect their family. The DCEU title also stars Amber Heard, Dolph Lundgren and Nicole Kidman. The movie suffered significant negative press ahead of its release, from negative test screenings to on-set drama involving Momoa and Heard. The troubled run-in for the sequel, coupled with increasing disinterest in the DCEU among fans, caused the sequel to considerably underperform compared to the original Aquaman, which grossed $1.15 billion worldwide.

The Aquaman sequel could mark the end of the film franchise, with director James Wan stating a threequel would only be made if there was sufficient fan interest to warrant one. The DCEU makes way for the new-look DCU, led by DC Studios co-CEOs, James Gunn and Peter Safran, which won't have any continuity with the outgoing cinematic universe.

Momoa could yet have a future in the DCU as he's been consistently linked to playing a live-action Lobo. Lobo has long been a beloved character for Momoa and the Aquaman sequel's struggles have made it increasingly likely he will ditch the titular character to play the bike-riding mercenary.

The Lost Kingdom is now available on Digital.

Source: Screen Rant




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