Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) Movie By James Wan
Aquaman balances his duties as king and as a member of the Justice League, all while planning a wedding. Black Manta is on the hunt for Atlantean tech to help rebuild his armor. Orm plots to escape his Atlantean prison. [Watch or Download] This Movie.
After failing to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta wields the power of the mythic Black Trident to unleash an ancient and malevolent force. Hoping to end his reign of terror, Aquaman forges an unlikely alliance with his brother, Orm, the former king of Atlantis. Setting aside their differen… MORE
Release date: December 22, 2023 (USA)
Director: James Wan
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Based on: Characters; from DC
Budget: $205 million
Cinematography: Don Burgess
Several years after the events of the first film, Arthur Curry / Aquaman is forced to protect Atlantis and his loved ones from devastation after an ancient power is unleashed by David Kane / Black Manta obtaining the cursed Black Trident. In order to achieve this, he will have to seek help from an unlikely ally, his half-brother Orm.
Rupert Gregson-Williams revealed in August 2021 that he was returning to compose the score for the sequel after doing so for the first film. The song “Deep End” was performed by X Ambassadors and released as a single on November 17, 2023.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is scheduled to be released in the United States on December 22, 2023. It was originally set for release on December 16, 2022,but was moved to March 17, 2023, when Warner Bros. adjusted its release schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the workload of visual effects vendors.It was then moved to December 25, 2023, when Warner Bros. Discovery was trying to spread out marketing and distribution costs, before moving to December 20 and December 22.
In December 2022, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Warner Bros. was considering ending the Aquaman film series and recasting Momoa as the character Lobo following Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.In January 2023, Momoa stated that he would “always be Aquaman”, but felt that he could also portray other characters.Later that month, DC Studios co-CEOs Gunn and Safran said there was potential for Momoa to reprise his role in the DCU, but a decision on the character had not been made. Gunn confirmed that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, alongside The Flash, would lead into the DCU’s first film Superman: Legacy (2025).Wan later commented that the second film would help set up a sequel and expressed some interest in directing it after a long break.
In September 2023, Gunn clarified that anything released before Creature Commandos (2024) would not be canon to the DCU, causing journalists to question the possibility of a potential continuation moving forward. The following month, Variety reported that no cast members from Zack Snyder’s run of DCEU films would reprise their roles in the DCU, including Momoa as Aquaman. However, Momoa was reportedly once again in talks to portray Lobo in either Superman: Legacy or a standalone film.
However, it’s not going to be a Christmas like those of yore, either pre- or post-Covid, simply because there’s no 10-quad tentpole in the Star Wars, Avatar or Spider-Man: No Way Home sense of the word that will storm the box office. A year-end gift as such brings a substantial amount of spillover business into the new year, and with 2024 projected to drop 10% due to the strikes’ delay of tentpoles into 2025, we already are starting next year on the wrong foot. But still, Warners saw this and remained committed to holding its Christmas dates, asking exhibition for extra promotion on their end (that is if the actors strike remained ongoing).
Overseas is much better for Aquaman 2, with a 73-market launch looking to deliver $75M-$80M including China. That worldwide debut at its highest would be $110M through Sunday. The Middle Kingdom, which was a prime territory for the first movie, is looking at $25M-$30M alone. The sequel currently leads presales throughout the frame in the PRC, but remember we are far from the heady days of 2018, when the original bowed to $93M+ at historic rates.
Aquaman 2 begins his offshore journey on Wednesday, with major territories this weekend being France, Italy, Spain, Korea, Brazil and Mexico. Thursday adds another 26, with Germany and the UK among the biggest, followed by 11 markets on Friday. Rollout will continue in Denmark (December 25), Australia/New Zealand (December 26), the UAE (December 28) and Japan (January 12).
Overall, the sequel is tough to comp in regards to its foreign box office given the current state of the motion picture marketplace. Korea, for example, ended up as one of the top offshore markets for the first Jason Mamoa starrer, but it has had a tough year — though local titles are starting to pop there, raising hope. Mexico should count as a Top 5 market this weekend, along with the usual mature European majors.
The Lost Kingdom has been plagued with potential omens for a long time, from audience members walking out of test screenings to reported tensions during filming between Momoa and Heard. Additionally, there has long been speculation about how much screen time Heard will get in the sequel, with her role as Mera pared back significantly compared to the original Aquaman movie. Wan has played down the negative press, suggesting the media has overblown the behind-the-scenes happenings.
The upcoming Aquaman sequel sees Arthur and his half-brother Orm Marius (Wilson) team up to try and take down the nefarious Black Manta (Yahya Abdul Mateen II). Wan has stated he’d only do an Aquaman threequel if there was sufficient fan demand.
The Lost Kingdom opens in theaters on Dec. 22.
