Aquaman 2 will test superhero fatigue in China – The Hollywood Reporter
“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”
Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures/DC Comics
James Wan can Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Will it pick up Hollywood studios’ losing streak at the box office in China? Movie buffs and pundits will soon find out. The second part of the Warner Bros. superhero film is set to be released. and DC Studios on December 20, two days before its North American opening, according to mainland Chinese news sites on Tuesday.
the original Aquaman (2018), starring Jason Momoa in the lead role, became a phenomenon in China, where it opened with $93 million and eventually grossed $291.8 million. The film remains the highest-grossing DC film of all time, earning $1.148 billion at the global box office. But American franchise films — and superhero sequels in particular — have been on the wane in China since the pandemic. Two weeks ago, Disney Wonders It opened in second place with just $11.5 million, an all-time low for an MCU’s opening weekend in China. Earlier this year, D.C Shazam! The wrath of the gods And the light Both performed poorly, earning just $6 million and $25.9 million, respectively, in China — a fraction of what even the most disappointing American superhero titles earned in the country several years ago.
Aquaman 2 It will benefit from the recent resolution of the SAG-AFTRA strike, which will allow its stars to walk the red carpet and make the usual promotional tours. However, Warners has not yet announced any plans for Wan, Momoa and others to visit China. Momoa and Amber Heard have arrived in Beijing for the local premiere of their film Aquaman In 2018. Some analysts within the Chinese industry said studios’ lack of focused local marketing campaigns in the post-pandemic period was partly responsible for declining profits in the country. Christopher Nolan is the only major Hollywood figure to visit Beijing on a promotional tour since the pandemic – and Oppenheimer It is one of the country’s few American box office surprises this year. The film earned $62 million, Nolan’s second-best showing in China to date Interstellar ($122 million) – and an unprecedented 3-hour English-language historical drama.
It’s been a long road to get to the multiplex Lost Kingdom. Like many films made in the era of COVID-19, the film’s release date has been pushed back multiple times. At one point, it was scheduled to open in North America in December 2022. But that was changed to March 2023, before being pushed back to Christmas 2023. The film also spanned three systems at Warner Bros. Pictures. It underwent a series of re-shoots.
However, Wan’s box office record in China is exceptional. installments in the fast and angry The franchise is among the biggest US box office successes of all time in the country. Angry 7 (2015) earned $390.9 million and Fate of the Furious (2017) earned $392.8 million.
Lost Kingdomwhich reunites Momoa’s hero with Patrick Wilson’s Orm Marius and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Black Manta, is the final film set in the DCEU that began a decade ago with Zack Snyder’s film. man of steel (2013). after Aquaman and the Lost KingdomCEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran will launch their own universe, starting with Superman: Legacywhich is dated July 2025.
