Jason Momoa has been partially hopeful about returning as Aquaman in Warner Bros.’ new DC Universe, but that might not be happening, as his new sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, has only made $28 million over the weekend and an estimated $40 million through the four-day holiday weekend following its release on December 22, per coverage from Variety.
“The sequel cost $205 million and ranks among the worst debuts of the year for a superhero movie,” the website reported, noting that this is even worse than the $47 million that The Marvels premiered at and how Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will probably be the fourth DC movie this year to fail at the box office following disappointments that include Blue Beetle ($25 million).
The numbers come after an event held in LA that saw Momoa not only premiere his new film in front of fans, but also admit that he wasn’t sure if he’d be back as Aquaman.
(WATCH) Jason Momoa and director James Wan intro #Aquaman2 at the LA premiere and cherish what may be the last time Momoa plays the DC character after his 12 year journey as Aquaman pic.twitter.com/hy0pUumjke
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) December 19, 2023
“This might be the last time we’re up on the stage together, it’s been a long journey,” Momoa told James Wan during the event after the director said the actor would always be his Aquaman. “It’s been 12 years playing this character, the longest I ever played a character through so much.”
“The truth of it is — I mean, if the audience loves it, then there’s a possibility,” Momoa told Entertainment Tonight recently when asked about whether he’d be back as Aquaman. “But right now, I’m like, ‘It’s not looking too good.’”
But while Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s box office performance seems to reflect that, Warner Bros. is seemingly leaving things open, noting that they have a solid relationship with the actor.
“We’ll see what happens with him beyond it. I know that Jason will always have a home at DC, and at Warner Bros. In fact, his next movie is Minecraft,” DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran told The Independent last week.
“If it’s the end of the journey, fine. If it goes on, that’s also fine,” Safran continued.
“What I hope is that people will really be here to support him on this journey.”
“Aquaman 2 is coming in at $38.3M for the 4-day, under its $40M projection, while Wonka is at $28.35M over Friday-Monday, putting its running total at $85.8M,” Deadline wrote for its Tuesday box office update.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has made $120,100,000 worldwide at the time of this writing, according to Box Office Mojo’s numbers.