Director James Wan’s 2018 movie Aquaman broke several box office records at the time of its release and it seems like Wan’s creativity made it possible. The film was well-received by the fans as well as the critics and popularized the character among a wider audience. Wan revealed in an interview that he decided to ditch the realistic approach and went wild with his creativity.
Thanks to its success, a sequel called Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was made and is all set to release in the theatres on December 22, 2023. Unfortunately, the test screenings of the movie have been a disaster. Despite the first film being the highest-grossing film of the franchise, the second film is projected to be the lowest.
Also read: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Review: A Fine Farewell to the DCEU
James Wan’s creativity was one of the reasons behind the success of Aquaman (2018)
In an interview with SlashFilm, director James Wan revealed that he wasn’t interested in making a super realistic movie with 2018’s Aquaman. The director explained,
“I had to embrace the quirkiest side of this world – I feel like it allows me as a filmmaker to do a lot more, to have fun with it. I also want to show that in the world of Atlantis it can be magical as well, and it can be fun, it can be uplifting, it can be a world that makes you kind of go, ‘I would love to have the ability to breathe underwater so that I can visit a place like Atlantis.’ That was really my main mission statement on the first film.”
Indeed, Wan’s approach was loved by the fans as Aquaman was a massive success, grossing roughly $1.152 billion at the global box office, officially making it the highest-grossing DCEU film.
Also read: Jason Momoa’s Aquaman 2 Box Office Figures Are So Abysmal Even The Flash Looks Like A Blockbuster
Will Aquaman 2 meet the set expectations?
Actor Jason Momoa first pitched the idea of a sequel in 2018 and 5 years later, fans are finally getting Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The film, which will be the final installment in the DC Extended Universe, faced several delays and setbacks. The film’s test screenings were disastrous as people reportedly walked out of the theatres, as a result, several scenes were filmed again but it didn’t solve the problem.
The film has a massive budget of $205 million and many fans believe that the film will fail to hit that mark at the global box office. Projections claim that the film will be a massive loss for DC Studios, but only time will tell. With DCEU wrapped up and Zack Snyder out, James Gunn is all set to introduce his soft reboot of the franchise with 2025’s Superman: Legacy.
