Box Office: Aquaman 2 Surfaces to Tepid $80 Million Overseas

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is treading water in the Middle Kingdom. DC's Aquaman sequel is swimming toward a projected $40 million opening over the four-day Christmas weekend domestically and $30.4 million in China, a fraction of the $93 million that the original opened to in 2018. The James Wan-directed Justice League spinoff starring Jason Momoa as DC's undersea superhero went on to gross $292 million in China alone; the first Aquaman ended its blockbuster global run with $1.152 billion worldwide, surfacing as DC's highest-grossing film ever and Warner Bros.' third biggest release in the studio's 100-year history (behind Barbie and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2).

Aquaman 2 has earned $80 million overseas since rolling out in most territories — including the UK, Mexico, France, and China — on December 20 for a $120 million global start as the No. 1 movie worldwide. That's despite a rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes and a B CinemaScore, tying 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and this summer's The Flash as the worst-received entry in the now-ended DC Extended Universe (2018's Aquaman scored an A- with opening night moviegoers).

In 2018, Aquaman managed a rare feat: it was just the sixth film ever at the time to cross more than $20 million on Christmas Day, behind only Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($49.3m), Star Wars: The Last Jedi ($27.4m), Star Wars: Rogue One ($25.8m), Robert Downey Jr.'s Sherlock Holmes ($24.6m), and James Cameron's Avatar ($23m). To compare, Aquaman 2's $120 million global start is on par with Marvel Studios' The Marvels and is below the $130 million global launch of DC's The Flash — both movies that ultimately bombed at the box office. 

Warner Bros.' Wonka, starring Timothée Chalamet as famed chocolatier Willy Wonka, added another $17.7 million to its $75.2 million domestic haul, while Illumination's animated Migration flocked to third place with $12.3 million.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is set four years after mercenary pirate Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) failed to defeat Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Momoa) and avenge his father's death. After exploring the depths of the sea, Black Manta wields the power of the mythic Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force: the accursded King Kordax (Pilou Asbæk), monarch of the long-lost kingdom of Necrus. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm (Patrick Wilson), 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 only in theaters.