After half a decade, a sequel to the $1.14 billion blockbuster Aquaman finally made its way to theatres this year. Sadly, the response is grim. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was released today, the final addition to the DCEU films. Despite high expectations from the James Momoa-led sequel, the film remains akin to the other poorly performing DC films like The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Shazam! Fury of the Gods. However, there is still time to weigh in on that. Interestingly, amid all this, the spotlight has turned towards 2013’s Man of Steel as one of DC’s best, with fans cherishing Henry Cavill’s Superman on social media.
The first installment of The Monarch of Atlantis was well-received by viewers, becoming the highest-grossing DCEU ever. Yet, Aquaman 2 was unable to follow suit. With a budget of $215 million, the film must collect over $400 million to be considered a box-office smash. But given the half-hearted reactions from fans and critics, we can hardly say.
Aquaman 2 on the way to get bombed
With the onset of the festive season, Aquaman 2 appears as a significant addition to the Christmas box office. However, with an expected $32 million to $42 million range against the $215 million budget, in its opening weekend, the DC film is likely to get bombed, per Box Office Pro. With DCEU intending to wrap the year with the Jason Momoa starrer, and DCEU’s final film, chances are high that it shall simply add up to DC’s list of flops this year.
Hammering the last nail to the DCEU coffin, new DC heads, James Gunn and Peter Safran shall take the reins to transform the superhero franchise into something spectacular from here on. Aquaman 2 stars Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry/Aquaman, the controversial Amber Heard as Mera, Patrick Wilson as Ocean Master, and Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, among others.
With a 36% on Rotten Tomatoes, and critics not declaring themselves as big fans, the fate of Aquaman 2 is fairly decided. Meanwhile, comparisons to Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel have surfaced, which earned $670 million at the box office in 2013.
Film critic, Johnny Oleksinski from The New York Post wrote,
“You can tell from every second of the sequel just how disinterested DC Studios is in this film and in the future of this character. It must’ve been a real chore for them to finish the choppy follow-up to the popular 2018 original.”
Likewise, even fans were undivided on the matter on social media. A Twitter post chipped in a riveting insight on DCEU’s decade-old run, claiming Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel was the best the franchise ever had. The caption read,
“10 years and DCEU never topped Zack Snyder’s MAN OF STEEL”
10 years and DCEU never topped Zack Snyder’s MAN OF STEEL pic.twitter.com/BZMhQj8L1t
— BLURAYANGEL 🦇 (@blurayangel) December 22, 2023
This sparked a whole other discussion on the greatest DC movies in the comments section.
Fans debate the best DC movie ever made
While fans agreed that Aquaman 2 was a disaster, they refuted their favorites from the DC list. They marked prior DC films like Suicide Squad and Zack Snyder’s Justice League as the best whereas few others agreed with Man of Steel. Here are some of the reactions:
The Suicide Squad was the best DCEU movie by far
— ervin (@ervininjustice) December 22, 2023
One of the things I loved about Man of Steel is how lost and confused they portrayed Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman. He’s a very good and genuine person, who doesn’t know where he fits in, he’s very relatable. All the cast was great and Snyder/Nolan did a great job. Very underrated. pic.twitter.com/4Bqo0QiY7f
— Reximus Prime (@RoarReximus) December 22, 2023
BvS UE did it for me pic.twitter.com/ojcDB64ruA
— ⊗𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐀𝐍⊗ (@wolvergoat102) December 22, 2023
Script written by Chris Nolan and David Goyer with Zack Snyder purely as a directorial hired gun, this was a born winner
— Baelor (@BaelorPower) December 22, 2023
Personally I like Wonder Woman and ZSJL more, so for me, it did. pic.twitter.com/HZel0KD2rO
— Arkham Inmate (@ArkhamInmate95) December 22, 2023
i can understand why you feel that way but i have to disagree..
— victor creed (@mbaku__) December 22, 2023
On the greener side, the final DCEU feature urged fans to look back on the best DC movies and cherish them. Moreover, Jason Momoa’s potential flop made way for greater popularity for Superman star Henry Cavill. 2024 shall bring new hope for the DC franchise, as Gunn and Safran work hard to get DC back on its feet.
