27 Dec – "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" has surpassed all of the other new entries on Christmas weekend, but it doesn't mean that it has done well at the box office. The DC movie continues to prove that superhero fatigue is still strong, as it was only able to amass USD 40 million throughout the four-day opening weekend in the US, though it was not the lowest debut number compared to the other four DC movies released this year.
It is noted that "Blue Beetle" only made USD 25 million debut, while "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" made USD 30 million when the two movies were released earlier this year. However, the Jason Momoa-starrer did much better internationally, earning USD 80 million, and bringing its global tally to USD 120 million.
Meanwhile, it is not all a loss to Warner Bros. as "Wonka" has now grossed USD 245.9 million in its second week of release. It is noted that "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" has been riddled with a series of bad luck, from the controversy surrounding one of its actors, Amber Heard who lost the defamation lawsuit against ex-husband Johnny Depp, to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strike that occurred from July to November this year. The movie is also the remaining title from the old DC Extended Universe before DC Studios was established under new leadership of James Gunn and Peter Safran, who decided to reset the whole superhero universe with new actors and stories.