The DC Universe is in reboot on the big screen with the final entry in the franchise Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom arriving at the end of 2023. Based on the Aquaman sequel's box office, which was a far cry from the $1 billion success of the previous film, it seems a lot of people didn’t go see it in theaters. So those people may be happy to know that the movie is very close to making its streaming debut, as it will arrive on Max in just a week, on February 27.
Max dropped the release date on Twitter today, letting any interested parties know they only need to wait a week to see the final entry in the previous DC Cinematic Universe. While Lost Kingdom’s box office wasn’t as bad as other recent superhero movies (or other DC movies for that matter) it certainly wasn’t what we’re used to seeing from superhero movies. The question of “superhero fatigue” has come up a lot recently, as has the fact that many seem to be foregoing theaters entirely, knowing that movies will arrive on easily accessible streaming platforms before too long.
And on top of that, there was the fact that we already knew the DCU reboot under James Gunn was coming. Fans who had been following the previous universe may have decided to write off the film, knowing that whatever happened, it wasn’t going to be important in the long run.
The window between theatrical release and streaming only seems to be getting smaller. While some movies have held off on streaming debuts, like Oppenheimer which only recently arrived on Peacock, most major releases are available at home only a couple of months after they were in theaters, and that’s the case here as well, with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom hitting Max only 70 days after it was released on theaters.
Generally speaking, critics didn’t love Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which isn’t to say they didn’t find things worth liking in it. The buddy comedy relationship between Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson generally got strong marks, so even if you didn’t make a point to see this one, it might still be worth checking out.
While Aquaman is likely done on the big screen, at least for a while, Jason Momoa’s future in the new DCU may be a bit brighter. The actor has teased that James Gunn has plans for him, though what those plans are at this point we have no idea.
While there are no upcoming DC movies in James Gunn's universe until next year, fans will get the long-awaited Joker sequel on the 2024 movie schedule. Until then the entire DC Extended Universe will be on Max so fans can enjoy it and think about what might have been.
