Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Claims Two Major Box Office Milestones

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was released at the end of December, marking the fourth DECU movie to be released in 2023 and the final one of the franchise. Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, and Blue Beetle did poorly at the box office, but the Aquaman sequel has already surpassed all three films. In fact, the movie just hit two major milestones. According to Deadline, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has officially surpassed $100 million at the domestic box office. In addition to hitting this milestone after its third weekend in theaters, the DC movie has also surpassed $300 million worldwide.

While Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom's current box office takeaway isn't exactly terrible, it's a huge step down from the first Aquaman film, which surpassed $1 billion at the box office when it was released back in 2018. As for DC's other 2023 releases, Shazam! Fury of the Gods only earned $133,838,006 worldwide, The Flash underperformed with $270,633,313 worldwide, and Blue Beetle scrapped by with a total of $129,288,072 worldwide.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom may not be earning the numbers Warner Bros. had hoped for, but the studio is still having a successful start to the new year. After Barbie crossed $1 billion last year to become the highest-grossing film of 2023 and Warner Bros.'s highest-grossing movie ever, the studio currently has three movies out in theaters. In addition to the Aquaman sequel, Wonka and The Color Purple are both making Warner Bros. some money. In fact, Wonka just won the first weekend of the year with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom coming in third and The Color Purple coming in seventh. 

Will the Aquaman Cast Return?

James Gunn and Peter Safran were tapped to be the co-chairs and co-CEOs of DC Studios in 2021, and Gunn's first big project is Superman: Legacy. The movie is expected to mark the beginning of the DCU, and while Gunn has said some actors from the DECU will return to play their characters, it is unlikely fans will see the Aquaman cast again. Jason Momoa (Aquaman) recently said this will probably be the last time he appears in the franchise. However, there have been rumors that he could be taking on a different role in the rebooted universe. Safran recently spoke to The Independent about Momoa's future at the company.

"What I hope is that people will really be here to support him on this journey. If it's the end of the journey, fine. If it goes on, that's also fine, but I think it has meant so much to him. The way [director] James [Wan] crafted this second film, it feels like a very complete story when you watch the two films together," Safran shared. "We'll see what happens with him beyond it. I know that Jason will always have a home at DC, and at Warner Bros. In fact, his next movie is Minecraft."

What Is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom About?

In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which arrived in theaters on December 20th, when an ancient power is unleashed, Aquaman must forge an uneasy alliance with an unlikely ally to protect Atlantis, and the world, from irreversible devastation. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will see the return of Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Patrick Wilson as Orm, Amber Heard as Mera, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, and Randall Park as Stephen Shin. Jani Zhao will play new character Stingray, Indya Moore will play Karshon, and Vincent Regan will play Atlan, who was previously portrayed by Graham McTavish in Aquaman. Pilou Asbaek has also joined the cast in a mystery role.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is directed by James Wan, with a script from David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. Producers include Wan and DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran.