It appears that the opening day for “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” at the domestic US box office fell short of expectations, with a Pure Friday Opening of $9.2 million, which is significantly lower than the 2018 “Aquaman” film’s excellent $27.7 million opening.
Despite a much better opening day than trade expected, in the range of $13.7 million (including a moderate $4.5 million from Thursday previews), the movie faces challenges in reaching the industry’s $40-45 million projections for the opening weekend at the domestic market.
Comparisons with DC Extended Universe (DCEU) 2023 superhero release “The Flash”, opening numbers show that “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” had a lower Pure Friday Opening, with “The Flash” earning $14.8 million.
With the current opening collections “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” ranks as the fifth lowest Pure Friday opening in the DCEU.
However, the film grossed more than DC’s “Blue Beetle,” “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” “The Suicide Squad” and “Wonder Woman 1984.”
The outlook for the 3-day weekend is projected to be between $28-32 million, and the 4-day holiday opening (Christmas day on 25th is Monday), is estimated to fall within the range of $38-42 million. With that, even when the opening is lower than lowest-anticipated collections, there’s still hope for the movie to meet industry projections with the extended Christmas Day boost.
The performance of the film over the extended holiday weekend will be crucial in determining its overall box office success at the domestic market as the reports for the film aren’t favorable.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom:
- Release: December 22, 2023 (already hit theaters!)
- Director: James Wan
- Cast: Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Patrick Wilson (King Orm), Amber Heard (Mera), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Black Manta), Nicole Kidman (Atlanna), Randall Park (Dr. Stephen Shin), Temuera Morrison (Tom Curry), Jani Zhao (Stingray), Indya Moore (Karshon)
- Box office expectations: Decent buzz and a strong foundation from the first film, but some uncertainty due to mixed reviews and the changing superhero landscape. Could go either way!
- Aquaman 2 Synopsis: After failing to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta wields the power of the mythic Black Trident to unleash an ancient and malevolent force. Hoping to end his reign of terror, Aquaman forges an unlikely alliance with his brother, Orm, the former king of Atlantis. Setting aside their differences, they join forces to protect their kingdom and save the world from irreversible destruction.
