The first trailer for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is here.
You can watch the trailer, which was posted to X, below.
Related:Â From The Flash to Secret Invasion, the Superhero Genre Is Having an Existential Crisis
One king will lead us all. #Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom – Only in theaters December 20. pic.twitter.com/tLrdeoIVN6
— Aquaman Movie (@aquamanmovie) September 14, 2023
The original Aquaman film released in 2018. Directed by James Wan, the movie proved a massive success at the box office, earning more than $1.14 billion worldwide against a budget of between $160 and $200 million. However, reviews were decidedly more mixed, and Aquaman currently holds a 65 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Still, by both metrics, the original Aquaman fared better than many of the DC Extended Universe’s other outings.
The pop cultural landscape into which Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is entering is much different than it was in 2018, though. Several recent movies, including Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, and Blue Beetle, have all failed to capture audiences, and in many cases actually lost money for Warner Bros. There are a lot of potential reasons. In some cases, the movies had shockingly poor marketing, though in others reviews were quite negative. The ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes have definitely affected the box office potential of movies, as they’ve prevented many of those involved in the production from actually talking about their projects.
Related: The Sincere Fannishness of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Slate
Adding to that is director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran’s upcoming reboot of DC’s film properties. In 2025, Gunn will helm Superman: Legacy, a new take on the Man of Steel that will see David Corenswet taking over as Clark Kent, with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. The movie will also feature such heroes as Guy Gardner. From there, Gunn and Safran are planning to make The Authority, The Brave and the Bold, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and Swamp Thing. Although Gunn found massive success helming the Guardians of the Galaxy for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and his two DCEU entries — The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker — have all been great, it’s still unclear if they’ll be able to capture the attention, and dollars, of general audiences.
All of that context may have an effect on the box office of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. That being said, it’s generally been assumed that Jason Momoa will return as Arthur Curry, AKA Aquaman, in Gunn and Safran’s reboot. That being said, Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne, AKA Batman, was reportedly removed from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom during reshoots, so the entire endeavor remains in flux.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom releases on Dec. 20.
