The distance between the $1.2B total of Captain Marvel in 2019 and the combined $161M for The Marvels after two weeks has shocked analysts. Rarely have we ever seen such a huge drop in audience after such a successful first movie. But could we see a repeat of that when Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom arrives next month? Following the $1.1B of 2018’s Aquaman, it’s been a rough go for DC superhero films. This year has been especially terrible with Shazam: Fury of the Gods, Blue Beetle, and The Flash all tanking, and leaving little confidence that this sequel will fare any better.
But WB is keeping hope alive by dropping yet another trailer, featuring the return of Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry aka Aquaman, king of Atlantis. We do get a slightly wider look at the overall story, which finds Arthur protecting his kingdom and his new family, as he’s a father now, against the threat of Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) who is more powerful than before. To do it, Arthur will have to team up with his brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) who was the villain of the previous movie.
The film arrives at a curious time since we know it’ll be the last DCEU film before James Gunn reboots things with his new DCU. As such, Momoa won’t be reprising the role, which could give fans even less incentive to show up. What’s the point of checking out what is essentially a dead franchise?
Here’s the synopsis: Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father’s death, will stop at nothing to take Aquaman down once and for all. This time Black Manta is more formidable than ever before, wielding the power of the mythic Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm, the former King of Atlantis, to forge an unlikely alliance. Together, they must set aside their differences in order to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman’s family, and the world, from irreversible destruction.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom opens on December 22nd.