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Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Trailer Teases an Epic Battle, Team-Up Between Old Enemies

The first trailer forĀ Aquaman and the Lost KingdomĀ is here.

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You can watch the trailer, which was posted to X, below.

Related:Ā From The Flash to Secret Invasion, the Superhero Genre Is Having an Existential Crisis

The originalĀ AquamanĀ film released in 2018. Directed by James Wan, the movie proved a massive success at the box office, earning more than $1.14 billion worldwide against a budget of between $160 and $200 million. However, reviews were decidedly more mixed, andĀ AquamanĀ currently holds a 65 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Still, by both metrics, the originalĀ AquamanĀ fared better than many of the DC Extended Universe’s other outings.

The pop cultural landscape into whichĀ Aquaman and the Lost KingdomĀ is entering is much different than it was in 2018, though. Several recent movies, includingĀ Black Adam,Ā Shazam! Fury of the Gods,Ā The Flash, andĀ Blue Beetle, have all failed to capture audiences, and in many cases actually lost money for Warner Bros. There are a lot of potential reasons. In some cases, the movies had shockingly poor marketing, though in others reviews were quite negative. The ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes have definitely affected the box office potential of movies, as they’ve prevented many of those involved in the production from actually talking about their projects.

Related:Ā The Sincere Fannishness of James Gunn and Peter Safranā€™s DC Slate

Adding to that is director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran’s upcoming reboot of DC’s film properties. In 2025, Gunn will helmĀ Superman: Legacy, a new take on the Man of Steel that will see David Corenswet taking over as Clark Kent, with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. The movie will also feature such heroes as Guy Gardner. From there, Gunn and Safran are planning to makeĀ The Authority, The Brave and the Bold,Ā Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, andĀ Swamp Thing. Although Gunn found massive success helming theĀ Guardians of the GalaxyĀ for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and his two DCEU entries — The Suicide SquadĀ andĀ PeacemakerĀ — have all been great, it’s still unclear if they’ll be able to capture the attention, and dollars, of general audiences.

All of that context may have an effect on the box office ofĀ Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. That being said, it’s generally been assumed that Jason Momoa will return as Arthur Curry, AKA Aquaman, in Gunn and Safran’s reboot. That being said, Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne, AKA Batman, was reportedly removed fromĀ Aquaman and the Lost KingdomĀ during reshoots, so the entire endeavor remains in flux.

Aquaman and the Lost KingdomĀ releases on Dec. 20.


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Author
Image of Liam Nolan
Liam Nolan
Liam Nolan has been the Managing Editor at The Escapist since August 2023, during which time he's covered Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Starfield, and several other major releases. After getting his Master of Arts in English in 2016, he began writing about comics, television, movies, and video games, with his work appearing at such outlets as Marvel.com, CBR, and The Mary Sue. When he's not writing on pop culture, you can find Liam working on his creative projects or traveling. You can follow him on Twitter @LD_Nolan or on Bluesky @ldnolan.bsky.social.