In December 2018, a little over a year after Jason Momoa made his full DC Extended Universe debut as Arthur Curry in Justice League following a cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Aquaman was released to the public. Once a running gag in Entourage, this movie ended up grossing nearly $1.5 billion worldwide and remains the highest-grossing movie based on a DC Comics character. So it’s no wonder Warner Bros. Pictures greenlit a sequel, and yet nearly five years later, we’re still waiting for the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
If all goes according to the current plan, this upcoming DC movie will premiere in theaters right before 2023 concludes, but why has it taken so long for Aquaman 2 to arrive? That’s what we’re here to go over, and after going over these shifting release dates, let’s cross our fingers that yet another delay isn’t forthcoming.
First Release Date: December 16, 2022
Right off the bat, it’s important to note that the wait between Aquaman and Aquaman 2 was always going to be fairly lengthy. Warner Bros. officially confirmed the sequel was in development in February 2019 and scheduled it for December 16, 2022. The following month, producer Peter Safran told THR that he and director James Wan didn’t want to rush making Aquaman 2, and the latter was also already committed to making Malignant before returning to the underwater corners of the DCEU. In fact, it wasn’t until the DC FanDome event in August 2020 that Wan was confirmed to be taking the helming reins again.
By June 2021, Aquaman 2, now officially titled Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, began principal photography and finished shooting the following January. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic having interfered with numerous film production, and thus necessitating delays, for a while it looked like The Lost Kingdom would still make its original release date. Just a few months into post-production though, that changed.
Second Release Date: March 17, 2023
In March 2022, it was announced that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was being moved to March 17, 2023. Initially the reason for this date shift and the other DC and Warner Bros. movies being shuffled around at the time was simply attributed to “COVID-related” delays. Soon after through, it was clarified that many visual effects companies had seen their workloads logjam as a result of the pandemic, and needless to say The Lost Kingdom was one of the movies impacted.
When you’re following a superhero who explores underwater kingdoms and battles threats ranging from Black Manta to The Trench, obviously the visual effects need to look top-notch. So it’s understandable why Warner Bros. Decided to push The Lost Kingdom to early 2023. Ultimately though, that date didn’t stick either, with Shazam! Fury of the Gods later taking that March slot.
Third Release Date: December 25, 2023
By August 2022, Warner Bros. decided to push Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom yet again, shifting it to December 25, 2023. This meant that the sequel would roughly come out five full years after the first Aquaman, the same amount of time that passed between Suicide Squad and The Suicide Squad. This delay was attributed to Warner Bros. Discovery wanting to, as THR put it, “spread out the marketing and distribution costs associated with releasing a studio tentpole.” This move followed a few weeks after WBD made the surprising decision to scrap the already-shot Batgirl, which had been intended to be released directly to Max subscribers. Now let’s talk about Aquaman 2’s current release date.
Current Release Date: December 20, 2023
Not all release date changes are as drastic as delaying movies by many months or even years. Occasionally movie will actually be shifted to an earlier spot on the calendar. In Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s case, Warner Bros. decided to move it to December 20, 2023. So rather than audiences having Christmas Day as their first opportunity to watch Arthur Curry’s big screen return, they’ll have a little extra time beforehand to view the sequel in case a trip to the theater on the holiday is not on the table.
It’s unclear why WB specifically moved The Lost Kingdom’s release up five days, but it’s the only movie opening on the 20th. However, that’s not to say Aquaman 2 won’t be dealing with any major box office competition. The Universal Pictures/Illumination movie Migration opens two days later, and on Christmas Day, The Boys in the Boat from MGM and Ferrari from Neon and STXfilms both come out. Additionally, Warner Bros. is also releasing Wonka on the 15th and The Color Purple on the 25th. Granted, all that money goes back to the studio in the long run, but the public’s attention being divided among three WB movies within such a short span of time could result in their respective box office performances perhaps not meeting or exceeding exceptions.
So for now, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s fourth release date continues to stick… and yet, I can’t help but wonder if that will last. At the time of this writing, we’re a little over three months away from its arrival, and yet the first trailer still hasn’t been released. Additionally, there’s no indication that the SAG-AFTRA strike will end anytime soon, meaning if it’s still happening in November and December, Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Patrick Wilson and the rest of the cast won’t be able to promote the sequel. A movie of this scale certainly benefits from wide promotion, although that’s not to say it couldn’t still be successful without the actors doing press.
As of early August, there were reportedly no plans to move Aquaman 2 to another spot, and the first trailer premieres in a few days. However, considering that Warner Bros. pushed the originally November-slated Dune: Part Two to March 2024, there’s a chance the studio could change its mind and push The Lost Kingdom to next year too. After all, aside from Joker 2’s November 2024 release, there aren’t any other DC movies lined up for next year, and while the new DC Universe will technically kick off with the animated Creature Commandos series that’s also expected in 2024, its first movie, Superman: Legacy, which DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran consider to be the “true beginning” of this franchise. comes out in July 2025. That would still give The Lost Kingdom more than enough time to shine on its own as the final entry in the DCEU canon.
If Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is delayed for a fourth time, we’ll let you know about it. Otherwise, keep your eyes peeled on CinemaBlend in the months ahead as we share more coverage on the highly-anticipated sequel. You’re also welcome to scan through the other 2023 new movie releases to plan your remaining trips to the theater this year accordingly.
