The DC Universe hasn’t exactly been stepping up to fans’ expectations lately, at least not this year. All of this year’s releases–Shazam! Fury of the Gods (March 2023), The Flash (June 2023), and the most recent Blue Beetle (August 2023)–have failed to perform as well as fans expected, turning out to be one of the biggest box-office disappointments by the DC to date. And now, the soon-to-be-released Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom seem to be heading that way as well.
In fact, as per the revenue range tracked for Aquaman 2, the Jason Momoa starrer is expected to earn even less than the worst DC film of 2023, The Flash, domestically: a stunning $105 million only, with a major reason behind this downfall being cited as ‘Amber Heard’.
DC’s Aquaman 2 On Tracks To Earn Lesser Than The Flash
When DC released Aquaman back in 2018, the movie was nothing short of a surprise blockbuster that not only earned a whopping $335 million at the domestic box office but its global revenue passed a stunning $1.1 billion, which was huge for a film that wasn’t expected to earn that much.
This incredible success of the first movie was the reason behind fans hyping up over its sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. But as the theatrical release of this second installment grows closer, the reception for the film hasn’t quite lived up to its expectations and the revenue tracked for the same is way less than the first one.
According to the numbers tracked by Boxoffice Pro, the total gross expected by Aquaman 2 domestically sits at $105 million, which is even less than DC’s epic box-office flop of this year The Flash, which reportedly finalized at $108.1 million at the domestic box office.
A major reason behind this under-performance expected of the Jason Momoa starrer sequel is being cited as Amber Heard and her never-ending drama. While the actress was nearly fired from the film (saved due to some infamous drama by her ex-boyfriend Elon Musk, as per reports), she managed to stay and now her stay is expected to burn Aquaman 2‘s performance as well.
Furthermore, her lack of chemistry with Momoa is also said to be a major reason behind Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s expected underperformance at the box office. So far, things are not looking good for either DC or Arthur Curry’s sequel.
Even Aquaman 2‘s Opening Weekend Is Tracked To Be Less Than The Flash
If the domestic box office revenue tracked for Jason Momoa‘s Aquaman sequel wasn’t enough, what’s worse is that the upcoming film scheduled to be released in December 2023 is expected to perform even lower on its opening weekend.
And by ‘lower’, we mean lower than The Flash. As per the numbers, the Ezra Miller starrer was expected by industry experts to earn at least $75 million to $85 million during its first three-day weekend. However, it fell considerably short, garnering a mere $55 million in the given time instead.
Comparatively, Aquaman 2 is expected to haul even worse numbers on its opening weekend. As per the range tracked by Boxoffice Pro, the Amber Heard starrer is expected to bring in from $32 million to $42 million in its opening weekend, which is even less than what The Flash brought in.
Looking at all the bare minimum numbers tracked for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the film is more or less expected to be a box-office bomb at the most, considering its budget of a whopping $205 million.
DC’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will hit the theatres on the 22nd of December, 2023.
