The DC Extended Universe is dead and we might as well put Arthur Curry's name on the tombstone. After arriving to mostly negative reviews, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is eyeing a $27.6 million opening weekend, making it one of the brand's all-time worst debuts.
While that figure puts it in front of Wonder Woman 1984 ($16.7 million), Blue Beetle ($25 million) and The Suicide Squad ($26.2 million), two of those were released during the pandemic, so don't technically count. As a result, this is the second-worst wide opening weekend for a DCEU title.
Over the four-day holiday weekend, all signs point to the Aquaman sequel making a disappointing $38 million - $39 million.
There's some good news, however, as the DC Comics sequel has opened to $80 million at the international box office, taking its global cume to $120 million. Alas, that figure puts it in the same ballpark as Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, The Flash, and The Marvels.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has been treated like a lame duck by Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Studios doomed the DCEU with its DCU slate reveal back in January and an underwhelming marketing campaign all but guaranteed the majority of moviegoers would let this movie pass them by.
Perhaps Jason Momoa will get a second chance as Lobo? We'll have to wait and see.
Here are spoiler guides for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom:
• Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Ending Explained: How Does Arthur Curry's Story - And The DCEU - End?
• Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom's Post-Credits Scene Leaks And It Doesn't Sound Worth Waiting For
• Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Spoilers Reveal Whether Amber Heard's Mera Lives Or Dies In The Movie
• Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Spoilers: Does Batman Appear In The Final DCEU Movie?
• Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Offers Disappointing Explanation For Willem Dafoe's Absence As Vulko
Director James Wan and Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa - along with Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Nicole Kidman - return in the sequel to the highest-grossing DC film of all time: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father’s death, will stop at nothing to take Aquaman down once and for all. This time Black Manta is more formidable than ever before, wielding the power of the mythic Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm, the former King of Atlantis, to forge an unlikely alliance. Together, they must set aside their differences in order to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman’s family, and the world, from irreversible destruction.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is now playing in theaters.