Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has shifted its release date to 2023. Directed by James Wan, who also helmed the first film in the franchise, the sequel brings back original star Jason Momoa in the titular role, along with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Dolph Lundgren, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Kidman, and newcomer to the series Pilou Asbæk.
Filming on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom wrapped earlier this year and it was set for a December 16, 2022, release date, copying a similar release strategy of the first film, which opened in December 2018 and went on to become a massive success, pulling in $1.1 billion globally. However, Aquaman 2 was placed in a trickly slot for a big DC superhero film, as director James Cameron's Avatar 2 is also set to open in December 2022, which is the follow-up to the highest-grossing movie of all time, creating a game of release-date chicken between the water-based titles.
Now, WB has begun to shuffle the release date board, with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom moving to March 17th, 2023, a full three months after its initial release date, which should give Avatar 2 plenty of time to play out its theatrical run and leave space for Aquaman 2 to swim at the box office. Of course, this has also caused release date changes for other DC properties, such as Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and The Flash, all of which have changed dates to some degree or another. James Wan chimed in on the change as well, saying he's "thankful" for the extra time to work on the film. See his post below:
Wan has said that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom would "incorporate a different tone," being a bit more mature, but still retaining the fun of the first film. Early peeks at the film from DC Fandome and promotional trailers for DC titles have revealed more interactions and updated costumes from the key characters, including Aquaman, Orm, and Black Manta, all of whom will play a major role in the sequel. Wan has teased that he intends to incorporate some of his darker tendencies in the sequel, pulling from his horror roots to give the sequel a bit more bite.
Release date shuffles are nothing new in Hollywood, especially in the post-pandemic era where some titles are still sitting on the shelf, while others are seeing release some two years after their initial planned debut. For WB's DC titles, one thing to consider is the interconnected narrative, which plays a key role in leading from film-to-film. While the recently released The Batman stands alone it it's own Bat-Verse, all the other superhero films on the current docket are connected, making release timing that much more important. For Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, however, saving it from potentially being overshadowed by Avatar 2 is a safe bet. Even if Avatar 2 underperforms it simply isn't worth the risk and bumping Aquaman 2 a few months forward is just smart business.
Source: THR
