Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is expected to be the last movie in the DCEU. As such, and in addition to a variety of other issues and controversies, it’s been pushed through a number of delays and release date changes. Now it looks like the release date for Aquaman 2 is changing once again.
As revealed via Deadline, however, the new release date for the film isn’t a drastic change. But it’s certainly a strange one – especially considering the controversy the film has faced so far. The film was most recently slated to be released on December 20 of this year.
Now, the publication notes, the film – which stars Jason Momoa and Amber Heard – will be released on December 22, just two days later:
“Know that Warners knows what they’re doing here,” Deadline insists, “they turned Aquaman back in 2018 into the highest grossing DC movie of all-time at $1.15 billion. That movie launched on Saturday and Wednesday with previews, and after an official opening on a Friday (Dec. 21) cleared over $105M at the domestic B.O. by Christmas Day -which fell on a Tuesday that year.
“What they do here with the immediate shift is they capture more gross closer to the Christmas Day Monday when moviegoing shifts into high gear. It’s a four-day holiday weekend. Aquaman ended its stateside run at $335M.”
It seems as though the release date change is part of a strategy to get as much profit as possible. Especially when its predecessor did so well at the box office. Hopefully, then, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is able to do the same.
The new sequel was directed by James Wan from a screenplay written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. He co-wrote the first Aquaman film alongside Will Beall and Wan.
In addition to Jason Momoa as Aquaman and Amber Heard as Mera, the cast of the film includes Patrick Wilson as Ocean Master, Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta.
Fans will now be able to see Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in theaters on December 22, 2023. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding Aquaman 2 and any other upcoming DC projects. Hopefully this is the last release date change for the long-anticipated Aquaman flick.