Normally when a movie is delayed, the date shift happens pretty far out, as opposed to months or even mere weeks before it was previously slated. In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s case, this 2023 movie release being moved yet again only two months before its intended arrival could be considered strange. But not to worry, as this latest delay for the upcoming DC movie won’t result in a long wait at all, it also makes a lot of sense.
Until today, the plan had been for Aquaman 2 to come out on December 20, i.e. it would be a Wednesday release rather a traditional Friday one. That’s no longer the case, as Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that the sequel will now be released on December 22. This certainly isn’t the first time a studio has adjusted a movie’s release date by only a few days, but in The Lost Kingdom’s case, this is has been done to give it a little extra space from another Warner Bros. movie.
Per Variety’s reporting, the studio wanted additional distance between Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Wonka, the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory prequel starring Timothée Chalamet as the title eccentric chocolatier. So now instead of only five days separating these two movies, there’ll be an entire week for Wonka to stand on its own on WB’s end of things. The downside is that Aquaman 2 will no longer benefit from a five-day opening period, but hopefully this will even out with Wonka’s box office performance perhaps improving a little bit.
WB also announced today that the upcoming Robert De Niro movie Wise Guys has been retitled to Alto Knights, and it has been delayed from February 2, 2024 to November 14 of the same year. Let’s also not forget that there’s a third release from the studio to look forward to in December, as The Color Purple is still set to come out on Christmas Day. These will be the first WB releases since The Nun II hit theaters on September 8.
Along with Jason Momoa once again being joined by Amber Heard (who has a reduced role as Mera), Patrick Wilson, Yahoo Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Kidman, Temuera Morrison, Dolph Lundgren and Randall Park in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s cast, the sequel also boasts newcomers like Vincent Regan, Jani Zhao, Indya Moore and Pilou Asbæk. Oh, and we’ll be seeing even more of Topo the octopus. James Wan and David Leslie Johnson resumed their respective directing and writing duties for The Lost Kingdom, and this will be the final entry in the DCEU continuity, as the new DC Universe will get underway afterwards with projects like Creature Commandos and Superman: Legacy.
Once again, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is now hitting theaters on December 22 instead of December 20, so adjust your calendars accordingly. After that, although James Wan has expressed interest in making Aquaman 3, it’s unclear if Momoa will be one of the few DCEU actors to continue playing his established role in the DC Universe, or if the rumors off him playing Lobo instead will prove accurate.
