Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Debuts to a Very Soft $28 Million for One of the Worst Opening Weekends in DCEU History

After being panned by most country critics as one of the worst DCEU films, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom debuted with one of the worst opening weekends.

The sequel – which was expected to open at $32 million to $42 million, couldn’t even reach the low end of expectations with an estimated $28 million.

It is estimated that the film will gross a total of $40 million over the four-day holiday weekend, with Christmas Day falling on Monday.

Still, it’s considered one of the worst openings in DCEU history, with only The Suicide Squad ($26.2 million) and Blue Beetle ($25 million) and Wonder Woman 1984 ($16.4 million) debuting lower.

This film also marks the end of the DC Extended Universe, with James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new regime beginning in 2025 with Superman: Legacy.

The sequel – which was expected to open at $32 million to $42 million, couldn’t even reach the low end of projections, with an estimated $28 million.

Aquaman 2 opened in 3,706 theaters and grossed a decent average of $7,582 per screen during its opening weekend.

The sequel pales in comparison to its predecessor, with 2018’s Aquaman debuting to $67.8 million.

It would gross $335.1 million domestic and $1.152 billion worldwide, the only DCEU film to cross the $1 billion mark.

With such a soft opening and a budget reportedly over $200 million, the film is likely heading for a colossal flop.

It fared better in foreign markets, raising another $80 million for a $120 million worldwide debut.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom ultimately dethroned last weekend’s winner, Wonka, who fell to second place with 54.6% with $17.7 million.

Aquaman managed to fend off a slew of newcomers at the box office in one of the last weekends of the year.

Universal’s animated comedy Migration debuted with $12.3 million from 3,761 theaters for a per-screen average of $3,273.

Aquaman 2 opened in 3,706 theaters and grossed a decent average of $7,582 per screen during its opening weekend

The Sony rom-com Everyone But You debuted in fourth place with just $6.2 million from 3,055 theaters and for a paltry Averages $2,040 per screen, with Salaar ($5.4 million, 802 theaters, $6,834 per screen average) rounding out the 5th.

Rounding out the top 10 is The Iron Claw ($5 million, 2,774 theaters, average $1,824 per screen), The Boy and the Heron ($3.1 million, 1,580 theaters, $1,996 per screen average), The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes ($3.1 million, 2,509 theaters, average $1,255 per screen), Godzilla Minus One ($2.7 million, 1,965 theaters, $1,394 average per screen) and Poor Things ($2.1 million, 800 theaters, average $2,637 per screen).

While the weekend is over, Christmas Day brings three new films to theaters: the musical The Color Purple, Ferrari and The Color Purple.

As the year draws to a close, Barbie has easily become the highest-grossing film of 2023 with $636.2 million at the domestic boc occoe.