Weekend reports have made it clear Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is underperforming at the box office. This was a fear that theater owners felt heading into the holiday season and it has certainly manifested with some help from tepid Aquaman 2 reviews. However, now that the DC Film’s release is underperforming, fans are comparing it to The Marvels, and they have some thoughts about why the Brie Larson starrer took so much more flack than the DC movie.
Comparing Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom And The Marvels
Aquaman 2 only made $28.1 million domestically opening weekend with expectations of around $120 million worldwide if Monday estimates pan out. The Marvels actually fared better domestically at $47 million, though worldwide it only made an additional $63 million in its opening outing, making for around $100 million cume.
It’s also worth pointing out that both Captain Marvel and Aquaman were box office behemoths during their first outings on the big screen. The Brie Larson starrer ultimately made $1,128,274,794 at the box office, while the Jason Momoa-led film made $1,152,028,393 worldwide. So, it’s no surprise the two would have a similar trajectory this time around; what’s the surprise is how low the numbers for both have been.
Both movies have seemingly highlighted the superhero fatigue that’s been plaguing the box office as Disney+ original shows like Loki have been churned out as well. At one point The Marvels’ numbers were so lackluster that Disney announced they would stop reporting them. While the big problem is that DC and Marvel are having trouble getting butts into seats, fans online are also unhappy with the way the two movies have been reported on by some.
Why Fans Aren’t Happy About How The Marvels Was Treated Compared To Aquaman 2
Yesterday, online chatter had to do with how some people were spotlighting Aquaman 2’s box office over that of The Marvels, which was seen to have a more negative bent. One tweet in particular noted how negative the bent around the female-led Marvel movie's box office was compared to that of the Jason Momoa starrer.
Both critically and financially, Aquaman 2 is performing noticeably worse than The Marvels. They’re both sequels to billion dollar blockbusters yet I don’t see any hit pieces from the trades when it comes to the movie starring a man…The math ain’t mathing 🤔 pic.twitter.com/ftu65W6mUfDecember 24, 2023
I’m not sure the bit about Aquaman 2 performing “noticeably worse” is wholly accurate, given that it still has a few days of holiday moviegoing ahead of it, it's doing a bit better globally, and opening weekend is not always the best indicator of the full picture when it comes to the holiday box office. (Christmas, for example, is a big movie-going day and falls on a Monday this year, so it wasn’t a part of weekend box office reports.)
But the spirit of what the Twitter user is saying was picked up elsewhere on the Internet, with other commenters noting that people who saw The Marvels even seemingly liked it better.
doing worse in every category lolthe marvels on topmerry Christmas pic.twitter.com/X5PQzgvjfMDecember 25, 2023
Plenty of other fans on Twitter weighed in on the debate as well.
- Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom's $40MM opening weekend "disappointing," "ho-hum," "struggles." The Marvels' $47MM "marks death of film industry as we know it, thousands of theaters likely to shutter, and kick puppies along the way"
- Everybody dead silent when Aquaman 2 flopping but celebrating in the streets when it was The Marvels even tho they both sequels to billion dollars movies…hm.
- Nah I want that same smoke towards AQUAMAN 2 NOW. Y’all could not shut the f-ck up about how The Marvels was the final death rattle of the MCU but when a film marks the ACTUAL death of the DCEU (after 6 or 7 years of self sabotage) y’all are QUIET??? Hmmmm.
- Aquaman performing much worse than The Marvels both critically and box office wise and not getting a fraction of the discourse/headlines that The Marvels and everyone involved in it got isn't really surprising but it's truly annoying how clear the double standards are.
Though, in defense of the Momoa movie, one person did point out about Aquaman's box office and why expectations are a little different:
Domestically, yes. But worldwide, it’s opening made $10 million more than The Marvels. It also is reported to have cost less, and with a smaller marketing budget.
While there are a slew of upcoming Marvel movies on the docket, DC is in the middle of a revision process led by James Gunn. In the meantime, fans will be able to enjoy projects including the upcoming Joker 2 helmed by Todd Philips. We’ll keep you posted regarding Aquaman 2’s ultimate box office, and whether or not The Marvels-adjacent narrative shifts in the coming days.
