The 80 million dollars opening for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom at the international box office doesn’t seem to do so well considering how other mega big-budget superhero movies that eventually ended in a disappointment had sales on the same level – i.e., the flash, the marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. However, the $38 million to $40 million domestic gross must not be surprising after the array of other DC movies this year.
Following the misfires of this year’s “The Flash”, “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and “Blue Beetle”, this comic book sequel too is facing some issues. The Jason Momoa starrer, directed by James Wan has only surfaced a global $120 million globally as a start, including a rather underwhelming $40 million in North America.
Timing plays a significant role in the success (read; or failure) of the film. Aquaman 1 came out at a time when comic book adaptations were doing very well in the box office. It was a massive commercial success with $816 million internationally, and a whopping $1.14 billion globally. On the other hand, although the first movie was a huge success in China, the post-pandemic space did not work quite well for the sequel. As reported, while the Warners might not be celebrating Aquaman 2, they sure are for Wonka which surpassed the $250 million mark within two weeks of release.
The final verdict for this movie passes off as an underwhelming performance that was not exactly expected, but still came as a surprise.
It is interesting to note the pattern of films doing well currently. Ms Marvel, and other superhero films such as Aquaman as this article notes, seem to have an otherwise lower reception, but light hearted movies such as Wonka seem to be doing well. Has the time of superhero suits and saving the world gone by? Is a question we must ponder upon.
