Summary
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomhas seemingly gotten off on the wrong foot by setting a negative record within the franchise that could spell trouble for its theatrical release.
Aquamanreveals the intricacies of the hero’s birth and chronicles his quest to stop his half-brother Orm from uniting disparate underwater kingdoms in a bid to become the Ocean Master and wage war on the surface world. Despite middling reviews from critics, the film was deemed a fun watch and went on to massive box office success, becoming the most profitable DC film ever made. A second film was soon in the works, with starDolph Lundgren declaringAquaman2 would be better than the first.
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In like fashion withThe Flash’s record-breaking delayafter its disappointing theatrical run,Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomhas broken a negative record for the franchise that doesn’t bode well for its box office performance. As pointed out byThe Direct, despite being close to release with 114 days left before its December takeoff as of the end of August, the film has yet to get its first official trailer, making it the DC film with the shortest period between the first trailer and the film’s theatrical debut, a time frame that will only get shorter the longer Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios withhold the vital marketing from prospective movie-goers. Before this, the record for the shortest time frame between trailer and release was 124 days, set by, coincidentally,The Flash.
While noAquaman 2trailer has been released publicly, fans viewed a sneak peek at the film at the CinemaCon 2023 event that also sawChristopher Nolan crown his successfulOppenheimerscreeningwith a bold declaration. As of the end of August, no other promotional material featuring the film has been deployed, leading to the new record. Conversely, the record for the longest interval goes to 2016’sSuicide Squad,which was critically panned pretty much across the board but still made a massive wave at the box office when it scored a quarter shy of a billion dollars.
The revelation that theAquaman 2release date will not be delayedby the actor’s guild strike, which prohibits the film’s stars from promoting it or attending the premiere, was already cause for concern by many, and the lack of an official trailer this close to the film’s release is only adding to the apprehension. After a year full of box office failures, Warner Bros.' refusal to take action to ensure that the sequel to one of their biggest box office earners gets as much promotion and endorsement as possible seems increasingly strange, especially after the failure of the big-budgetFlashfilm.
While it is difficult to shake the feeling thatAquaman2 is being set up to fail,the film does have more going for it than some of the other projects released this year, with the success of the first film possibly indicating fan interest in the character or Jason Mamoa, specifically. However, whether lightning is prepared to strike twice at the trident’s call will be revealed at the box office.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomis set for a theatrical release on June 20, 2025.
