Warner Bros. appeared to be in an ideal position as Christmas approached, with three big-budget releases, Wonka, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and The Color Purple, poised to appeal to different demographics in theaters.
However, the domestic box office has now hit a major post-Holiday slump, with Paul King's family-friendly prequel just managing to cling on to the No. 1 spot.
Wonka took in $8.9 million on Tuesday, giving it the second-lowest haul for a No. 1 movie after Christmas since the year 2000. James Wan's Aquaman sequel fell to the No. 2 spot with $8.3M (-21% from Christmas).
The final movie of the DCEU era has been performing slightly better overseas, and has now passed the $150 million mark worldwide. Short of the movie proving to have incredibly powerful legs (fins?), it will still struggle to make back its reported $250M budget.
Long-range box office tracking was never very strong, but negative reviews probably didn't help matters. Aquaman 2 is currently sitting at 35% on Rotten Tomatoes, although it does have a better Audience Score of 79%.
This is just the latest in a pretty long run of underperforming comic book movies. Is it time to admit that "superhero fatigue" has set in, or are audiences simply growing tired of sub-par movies? Whatever the reasons, it's safe to say James Gunn and Peter Safran are going to have their work cut out if they hope to reignite fan-interest in the revamped DCU.
"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.
All returning to the roles they originated, Jason Momoa plays Arthur Curry/Aquaman, no, after w balancing his duties as both the King of Atlantis and a new father; Patrick Wilson is Orm, Aquaman’s half-brother and his nemesis, who must now step into a new role as his brother’s reluctant ally; Amber Heard is Mera, Atlantis’ Queen and mother of the heir to the throne; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is Black Manta, committed more than ever to avenge his father’s death by destroying Aquaman, his family and Atlantis; and Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, a fierce leader and mother with the heart of a warrior. Also reprising their roles are Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus and Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shin."
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