Warner Bros. Pictures and DC’s “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” swam its way to $4.5 million in Thursday night previews at the domestic box office.
It marks not just the final installment of the DCEU but the latest misfire for DC this year as all three prior releases – “The Flash,” “Blue Beetle” and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” – underwhelmed on all fronts.
The number suggests the film is now targeting a total of $35-40 million for the four-day holiday weekend – a decidedly lower start than the first film’s debut weekend haul of $67 million.
Indeed, the first “Aquaman” made double that figure in its Thursday previews – $9 million. The number is better than the $3.3 million and $3.4 million that “Blue Beetle” and the “Shazam” sequel took in, but is far behind the $9.7 million previews of “The Flash,” the $7.6 million previews of “Black Adam,” and the $6.6 million of last month’s “The Marvels”.
The first “Aquaman” went on to an astonishing $335 million in North America and $1.15 billion globally, a number not expected to be even remotely approached by the sequel.
The film also faces plenty of competition from films like Illumination’s “Migration” which snagged $1.5 million in previews, the rom-com “Anyone But You” which took $1.2 million, the Zac Efron-led wrestling drama “The Iron Claw,” and the still-going strong “Wonka”.
Source: Variety
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
