Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom splashed down on Digital platforms just a few weeks after opening in theaters, but overseas, the movie has remained afloat. In late January, the final DCEU movie even achieved a feat not a single other release in this franchise has managed in half a decade: crossing $400 million worldwide.
Believe it or not, the DC Comics adaptation is still making money and, with $309.8 million from international markets and $123.2 million in North America, the Aquaman sequel has made an undeniably solid $433 million worldwide.
It's been widely reported that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom underwent multiple rounds of reshoots, with the budget believed to have hit the $205 million mark. With $433 million at the box office, the movie can now be considered a moderate success, albeit one which may earn Warner Bros. only a meagre profit.
Ultimately, this won't be enough to guarantee Jason Momoa's Arthur Curry a place in DC Studios' new DCU and if the actor does return to the DC Universe, we still expect it to be as Lobo instead.
Here's how each DCEU movie has performed since Aquaman's $1.1 billion success five years ago:
Shazam! (2019) - $363.5 million
Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey (2020) - $201 million
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) - $166.3 million
The Suicide Squad (2021) - $167 million
Black Adam (2022) - $390.4 million
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) - $132.2 million
The Flash (2023) - $266.5 million
Blue Beetle (2023) - $128.7 million
A new SteelBook case for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has also been revealed which, for now, looks to be exclusive to international collectors.
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.
The screenplay is by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, from a story by James Wan & David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Jason Momoa & Thomas Pa'a Sibbett.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is available on Digital and still playing in some theaters.