While Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom disappointed with a North American debut take of just $28.1 million, it was still enough for the final film in the DCEU to win the domestic weekend box office.
As Comscore reports, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is expected to earn $40 million domestically over the Christmas weekend. Overseas, the 2018 sequel to “Aquaman” grossed another $80.1 million, helping push its worldwide tally to $120.1 million.
That performance not only puts it behind the original “Aquaman” with $67.8 million in its opening weekend and the MCU-worst “The Marvels” with $47.0 million, but also behind the debuts of two of the three other DCEU films this year, namely “The Flash” with $55 million and “Shazam!” Fury of the Gods: $30.1 million. However, it surpassed Blue Beetle's opening price of $25.0 million.
The original Aquaman had the worst opening for a DCEU film in 2018, but picked up steam as the weeks went on, finishing with over $1.1 billion at the global box office and $335 million in North America. However, this film is in different waters as it is officially the final film in the DCEU before the James Gunn and Peter Safran-led DCU begins with Superman: Legacy.
It also sits at 36% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is significantly lower than the 66% the original scored. However, viewership is much closer to 72% for the sequel and 79% for the original.
In our review of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom we said: “If Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is an Aquaman story and it leans into the silliness and familial aspects of it all, it's fun. The entertaining parts just lie between some ugly effects and…”a strange first act that seems like it was thrown together from a completely different film.”
Wonka, the film that topped the box office last weekend, came in second with $17.7 million. The prequel “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” currently costs a whopping $254.9 million worldwide.
Newcomer Migration took third place with $12.3 million, Any But You took fourth place with $6.2 million and Salaar Part 1 – Ceasefire rounded out the top five with $5.4 million.
In our “Migration” review we said it was “satisfying but uninspiring.” The film and studio can be proud of its animation and character dynamics sincerity and charm, things that Illumination's films have been lacking for quite some time.
In our review of “Anyone But You,” we said, “While Anyone But You isn't a bold take on traditional romantic comedy formulas, it's an infectiously heartfelt and easy-to-watch film with a charming ensemble cast and great situational comedy.”
Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire is an Indian Telugu-language epic action film starring Prabhas, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Shruti Haasan and Jagapathi Babu and directed by Prashanth Neel. The film is set in a fictional city-state called Khansaar, which is on the verge of a coup. In response, the Prince of Khansaar enlists the help of a tribesman he calls a friend to secure his rule.
For more information, check out our explainer of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom's ending and post-credits scenes, as well as the roadmap of the new DCU, which is about to begin in earnest.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.